Date Swirls

For the cookie dough:
In a medium sized bowl, whisk or sift together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and salt) and set aside.
Cream lard and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg, beating until well incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, a little at a time. Stir in the heavy cream and finish by adding the remaining dry ingredients. Press dough together, wrap it tightly in a piece of plastic wrap and chill in the freezer while preparing the filling.
For the filling:
Cook dates, sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat until a thick paste forms. Remove from heat, stir in nuts and salt and cool to room temperature.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the chilled dough to 1/4" thick, keeping the shape rectangular. The cookie dough will be fairly sticky. Spread filling onto the dough as evenly as possible, slightly thicker in the middle. Roll the rectangle of dough into a tight log (start with one of the long sides) and wrap the log in another piece of plastic wrap. Store in the freezer overnight.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Once chilled, remove the dough log from the freezer. At this point, you may wish to roll it thinner by rolling the log back and forth across the countertop, depending on the size of the desired cookie. Slice the log into 1/4" thick slices and brush each slice with cream (if using). Sprinkle with sanding sugar and place 2" apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 F for approximately 8 minutes.