Volcanoes - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
2 cups rolled oats (such as Quaker Oats(R))
Filling:
1 cup pitted and chopped dates
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Blend flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Add butter, brown sugar, molasses, and eggs. Stir until smooth. Blend in oats.
Roll dough out on floured board, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut into rounds using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter. Place half of the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet.
Combine dates, white sugar, and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring often until thickened. Stir in walnuts. Remove from heat and let cool, about 10 minutes.
Spoon 1 teaspoon of the date mixture into the center of each round on the baking sheet. Cut a cross in the middle of the remaining rounds. Place over date mixture; press down on the edges of the dough to seal.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.