Date Pinwheels

For the filling:

For the dough:

Filling: Combine the dates, brown sugar and water in a saucepan and stir. (The filling may be more than the dough but you can spread as much as you need and save the rest of the filling.) Cook on medium heat until thick. Let cool.

Dough: To make the dough, sift the flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl.

Set aside. Put butter and sugars together and use electric mixer to blend on medium speed until smooth (about 3 minutes).

Mix in eggs and vanilla. (I do minimal mixing with eggs so as not to overbeat the cookie dough or it becomes cakey.)

On low speed, gradually mix in the flour mixture. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.

Transfer one of the dough halves to a lightly floured piece of parchment paper (or wax paper). Roll out to a 10-by-12-inch rectangle. Trim edges with knife. Repeat with remaining dough half. Transfer on the parchment paper to a baking sheet and chill for 30 minutes.

Spread half of mixture over each rectangle. Starting with a long side, roll dough into a log as tight as possible.

Wrap each log in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut logs into ¼-inch thick slices using a sharp knife. Transfer them to baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes. You may rotate the paper. The cookies are done when the edges turn a light golden brown.

Let cool on wire racks. Can be stored in airtight containers up to 3 days.