Date & Raisin Cookie Recipes
This page collects three vintage date-and-raisin favorites: thin rolled filled cookies (with a cooked date-or-raisin filling), easy date-walnut cookie squares, and old-fashioned spiced raisin bars baked in a pan. They’re classic, sweet, and the kind of homemade treats that feel right for holidays, cookie tins, and afternoon coffee.
Use the jump links below to go straight to the recipe you want—each one is made with simple pantry ingredients and straightforward steps.
Recipes on this page
Use the links below to jump directly to each cookie recipe.
Date or Raisin Filled Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sweet milk
- 3 cups flour plus 2 tablespoons
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Filling:
- 1 cup chopped raisins or dates
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Make the filling first so it can cool.
- Filling: Combine chopped raisins or dates, sugar, water, and flour. Cook, stirring, until thickened; cool.
- Dough: Cream sugar and shortening until fluffy. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla.
- Sift flour, cream of tartar, and soda together; mix into wet ingredients and beat until smooth.
- Roll dough very thin. Place cookies on a greased cookie sheet, add a small spoon of filling, top with a second cookie, and press edges with a fork.
- Bake 10–12 minutes.
Total Cook Time - 10 to 12 minutes
Equipment - cookie sheet
Servings - 2 dozen
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs, unbeaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup melted shortening
- 1 cup chopped dates
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10×15-inch pan.
- Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir in chopped dates and walnuts to coat them in the dry mixture.
- Add eggs, vanilla, and melted shortening; mix until evenly combined.
- Spread into pan and bake about 25 minutes. Cool and cut into squares (about 20).
Total Cook Time - 25 minutes
Equipment - 15 inch pan
Servings - 20 squares
Old Fashioned Raisin Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup salad oil or fat
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups nuts (optional)
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 13×9×2-inch pan.
- Bring raisins and water to a boil; remove from heat. Stir in oil (or melted fat) and cool until lukewarm.
- Beat sugar and egg. Sift flour with salt and spices; add to the egg mixture, using raisin liquid as needed, and beat well.
- Stir in raisins and nuts (if using). Spread batter in pan.
- Bake about 20 minutes, until done. Cool, cut into bars, and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
- Tip: Dust only after fully cooled, and don’t cover right away or the sugar will melt.
Total Cook Time - 20 minutes
Equipment - 13 by 9 by 2 inch pan
Servings - 30 bars
FAQ: Date & Raisin Cookies
What’s the difference between the filled cookies and the raisin bars?
Filled cookies are rolled thin and sealed around a cooked date-or-raisin filling. Raisin bars use a boiled raisin mixture stirred into a spiced batter and baked in a pan.
Can I use dates instead of raisins (or vice versa)?
Yes. The filling works with either chopped dates or chopped raisins—use whichever you prefer.
How should I store these cookies and bars?
Store airtight at room temperature for 2–3 days, refrigerate for longer freshness, or freeze bar cookies for later.
Why does the confectioners’ sugar melt on the raisin bars?
If the bars are warm or covered too soon, moisture dissolves the sugar. Dust with sugar only after the bars are fully cooled.