Grandma's Christmas Cookie Recipe: Raisin Date Bars

Last year, I shared cake, cookie, and pie recipes from my mother and grandmother for holiday swapping with my readers, my cousins, and  my nieces. The old-fashioned recipes were popular posts, so I am trying to share more.  As I have time, I am still going through the handwritten cookbooks and recipe cards that were my Grandma's and that I found when going through my Mom's stuff after she passed. If you want a more candy-sweet than chewy-fruity, try Pecan Raisin Bars.  Both are from  from my Grandma P's Recipe Notebook No 3: Cookies and Breads.  

Raisin Date Bars 

Makes  about 40 cookies

Bar Cookie Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine (softened)
1/4 cup Crisco
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup oats

Steps:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare filling and set aside.
3. Grease cookie pan.
4. Mix margarine, Crisco, and brown sugar together.
5. Stir in flour, salt, baking soda, and oats.
6. Press half of the crumbly mixture in pan.
7. Spread filling over top.
8. Sprinkle with remaining crumbly mixture, pressing lightly.
9. Bake until light brown, approximately 25 to 30 minutes,
10. Cut into bars of about 1 1/2 inch.

Fruit and Nut Filling

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups seedless raisins
1 1/2 cups cut-up dates
1/4/ cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups water

Steps:

1. Mix all ingredient, except nuts, in a saucepan.
2. Heat to boil over a low heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Continue boiling, stirring until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes.
4. Stir in nuts.