This easy-to-prepare cookie is reminiscent of a fig newton – only better.
DOUGH:
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) soft butter or shortening, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
FILLING:
1 box (12 ounces) pitted prunes, chopped
1/2 cup drained canned crushed pineapple
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1/2 (3-1/2-ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
Sugar to taste
Cinnamon to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
Confectioners’ sugar
To Make Dough: Place all dough ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix slowly until blended and smooth; do not overbeat. Let dough stand a few minutes while you prepare filling. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
To Make Filling: Stir together all filling ingredients in a mixing bowl (they can also be chopped and mixed in a food processor).
Assembly: Divide dough into 5 or 6 pieces. Roll out each piece in a rectangular shape about 1/4-inch thick. Don’t worry about any tears in the dough; they can easily be patched. Spread dough with a layer of the filling, leaving a margin of dough all around. Roll up dough, beginning with a long side, as you would a jelly roll. Pinch ends shut securely. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Arrange rolls on buttered baking sheets, spacing them slightly apart. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until dough has set and is very lightly colored. Cool on a rack. At serving time, dust rolls with confectioners’ sugar and cut diagonally into 1-inch slices. Store airtight; these cookies also freeze well, unsliced and tightly wrapped.