Cookies - Princess Bar - Poulsbo Baker Washington

Found in Recipe Request Column from Bakery in Poulabo Washington Times are a guess I have not made

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 48
• Yields: 48 cookies

Ingredients

• 4  cups all-purpose flour or 4  cups  pastry flour
• 1 1⁄4 cups sugar
• 1  cup brown sugar
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄3 cups vegetable shortening
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  maple flavoring
• 2  cups coconut
• 1  egg, slightly beaten
• 2  cups  date filling, recipe follows
• 1  cup walnuts, chopped

• Date Filling

• 3  cups dates, Chopped 1 lb
• 3⁄4 cup brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons corn syrup
• 1  pinch salt
• 1⁄2 cup water

Directions

1. Combine flour, sugar, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening, vanilla and maple flavoring until mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in coconut. Set aside one third of mixture. To the remaining two thirds, add egg and stir until combined.
2. Put dough into a lightly greased 17x11 jellyroll pan. Spread carefully with date filling. Sprinkle walnuts, then reserved crumb mixture.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 24 to 28 minutes or until lightly browned. Cut into bars when cooled.
4. DATE FILLING:
5. Combine dates, brown sugar, corn syrup, alt and water in medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until dates are soft and mixture has a pastry like consistency. Cool.