Date-filled cookies

For recipe, see http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/goodbites/Recipe/20041008173228/moreR_html



Custard powder

• a combination of corn flour (aka cornstarch), tatrazine (colouring) and "flavouring"
• invented by Alfred Bird (a pharmacist); see link for short story

http://www.rpsgb.org.uk/informationresources/museum/exhibitions/themotherofinvention/bird.html

Dates

• Not the red or black dates used in Chinese cooking
• I used 450g of unpitted dates
• buy pitted ones from Phoon Huat or unpitted ones from the major supermarkets(which should sell them during Ramadan). Alternatively, they can apparently be bought from the Geylang Serai Market or Arab Street (?))
• add just enough water to cover the dates and boil/cook till mushy
• let it cool then blend to a paste
• if it's still too wet, cook/fry till it's drier

Cream butter till pale.

Add sugar and beat till fluffy and the sugar crystals have more or less dissolved.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs with vanilla essence. Add , in portions, to the butter/sugar mixture and beat.

Fold in flour + cornflour + custard powder.

The resulting mixture will be somewhat yellow and not very stiff.

Refrigerate for about 15 mins so that it will be firmer and easier to shape.

Shape a bit of dough into a ball; flatten it on your palm.

Put some date puree in the middle and fold the dough over - make a "curry puff".

Seal and pinch off excess dough.

Gingerly set onto the baking paper/tray and shape into an oval of sorts.

Bake till cooked.

The cookies won't quite turn brown - they'll still be somewhat pale but definitely more golden than when uncooked. Check the underside - if it's still pale yellow, it's not ready.

Ta da!