Date and Nut Half-Moon Pies

Name: Date and Nut Half-Moon Pies
Yield: Makes 20 to 22 3½-inch crescent cookies
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons honey, or substitute dark corn syrup or light corn syrup; 1 cup (packed) packaged pitted dates, whole or cut up (they come in both forms); ½ cup water; 1½ to 3 teaspoons lemon juice, as needed; ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts; 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening; ½ cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind (colored outer layer only, no pith); Big pinch (⅛ teaspoon) ground nutmeg; 1 egg; 1 egg yolk; ¼ teaspoon salt; Lemon juice, if needed; 1¾ cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation info

Makes
20 to 22
3½ inch crescent cookies

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Mrs. Witty's Monster Cookies

By Helen Witty

Published 1983

About

Mooning about with dates, walnuts, and the same crust used for the Overstuffed Cranberry, Nut and Orange Cookies and the Raisin Pie Cookies resulted in these tender crescents. Few kitchens possess a round cutter large enough for shaping them, but a clean, dry 7-ounce tuna can, both ends removed, is a dandy makeshift. A standard (2½-inch) cutter can be used, but the cookies will be trickier to shape.

Ingredients

Cookies
Vegetarian

Ingredients

Method