I can’t remember how many years ago I started making these Raspberry Pinwheels? It has been a while. The page has long since fallen out of the Robin Hood Christmas Baking booklet I got a gazillion years ago along with one of my Christmas Canadian Living magazines.
I don’t know why I make these…I recall many a baking days where I would be cursing under my breath because I couldn’t get the dough to roll out. I can happily say I got it sorted out and can whip these up with no problems what so ever now…really, listen to the directions and roll the dough out between to sheets of parchment paper…I give the bottom piece a super light dusting of flour before I begin. Another thing to remember, this is NOT the time to flex your muscles…use even, light rolling…if you use too much pressure, yea, you will be cursing like a sailor! Trust me on this one.
My family does not like nuts in cookies so I have only made these with the Walnuts once but man, were they good! Oh, but they DO like nuts in Date Nut Pinwheels…go figure? If your family will allow it, definitely add the chopped walnuts.

2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 cup Raspberry Jam
1/2 cup Fine Coconut
1/4 cup Walnuts, finely chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F.
Line 4 baking trays with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
Cream butter, sugar, egg and vanilla thoroughly.
Mix dry ingredients into creamed mixture.
Roll dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper to a 12″x9″ rectangle.
In a small bowl, combine raspberry jam, coconut and walnuts, if using; spread evenly over dough to within 1/2″ of edges.
Roll up tightly, jelly-roll fashion, starting from long side.
Gently press edge to seal.
Wrap in parchment paper and chill overnight. (Or for at least 4 hours)
Cut into 1/4″ thick slices and places on prepared baking sheets.
Bake at 375F for 8 – 10 minutes, or until golden.

Makes about 40 cookies

Now, you know that I like to give credit where credit is due but I really do NOT know where I got this recipe from. Every Christmas I hauled the faded old recipe card out of the recipe box and made these Ginger Crinkles. In fact, last year I had to rewrite the recipe onto a new card because I simply could not read the old one anymore!
Wherever I got the recipe from, I am sure glad I did! It is one of my favourites.

3/4 cup Butter, room temperature
1 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 Egg
1/4 cup Fancy Molasses
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cups Flour
2 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 teaspoons ground Ginger
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground Allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Sugar for Rolling Cookie Dough in

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line 4 baking trays with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and spices; set aside.
In large bowl, beat butter with brown sugar until well blended.
Add egg, molasses and vanilla; beat until smooth.
Stir half the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, until well incorporated.
Stir in remaining flour mixture and stir until no flour is visible.
Gather into a ball, place in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. Or you can speed things up a bit by placing in the freezer compartment for 30 minutes.
Roll about 1 1/2 teaspoons of dough into a ball; roll in sugar and place about 2″ apart on prepared baking tray.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake in preheated 350F oven for about 12 minutes, rotating trays at 6 minutes; cookies will flatten slightly, have cracked tops and bottoms are lightly browned.
Let cool on baking trays on wire racks for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 4 Dozen Cookies

I make these every year at Christmas just for my Mother. They were one of her favourite O-Mommy Cookie recipes…not that Mother made them all that often, but she sure liked to have them made for her. Here I will share with you the recipe exactly the way O-Mommy passed it along to me. Yes, the recipe now resides on this page but I still have the battered, faded recipe index card that I transcribed the recipe onto 30 years ago!

Although Mother passed away I made these cookies in quiet remembrance of her and probably will until I am unable to make them anymore. I think Mother liked them so much because they were gently spiced and contained yummy bits of dates.

For Mother

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cream together,
1 cup Shortening (sometimes I don’t have enough or none at all and will sub in some or all Butter)
1 1/2 cups Sugar
3 Eggs
Add
2 cups Chopped Dates
1 cup Chopped Walnuts
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Blend together [in a separate bowl]
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Add to date mixture, combine thoroughly.
Drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 – 15 minutes.

I use a #2 Pampered Chef Scoop.

I let the cookies rest on the cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cookie rack to cool completely.