This is a traditional sweet dish and is easy to make at home.
DATE COOKIES
During the Holy Month, sweets occupy an important place in people’s lives. These date-?lled cookies are a typical Ramadan sweet.
INGREDIENTS
Dough
2 cups (350 g) semolina flour
¼ cup (50 g) baker’s sugar or super?ne sugar
¼ tsp. active dry yeast
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. (50 g) all-purpose ?our, plus more for surface
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
3 Tbsp. orange blossom water
3 Tbsp. rose water
Date Filling and Assembly
12 oz. dried date paste (if you can’t ?nd date paste, use an equal amount of pitted dates and process with cinnamon and butter in a food processor until a smooth paste forms)
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Special Equipment
A ma’amoul cookie mold (optional)
METHOD
Dough
Mix semolina flour, sugar, yeast, and ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour in a large bowl. Add butter and work it in with your fingertips until fully incorporated. Add orange blossom and rose water. Knead dough in the bowl until smooth and elastic. Roll dough into a ball and place seam side down on a lightly ?oured work surface. Cover with a very damp cloth and let rest in a cool place 1½ hours.
Date Filling and Assembly
Combine date paste and cinnamon in a small bowl. Gradually add butter, working it in by hand until smooth, soft paste forms. Pinch off a small piece and shape into a disk 1½” (3.5 cm) in diameter and about ¼” (6 mm) thick. Transfer to a plate. Repeat process with remaining paste (you should have 40 disks). Cover with plastic wrap.
Preheat oven to 400°. Pinch off a piece of dough and roll into a walnut-sized ball. Flatten on your palm to form a 3″ (7.5 cm) disk about ¼” (6 mm) thick. Lay a date disk in the centre of dough. Fold edges of dough over date to cover. Pinch edges together—the date disk should be covered with an even layer of dough.
Lightly press into cookie mould. Turn mould over and tap top edge lightly against work surface while holding your other hand underneath to catch dough as it falls out of mould. Slide dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet or silicone baking mat. Repeat with remaining dough and disks.
Bake cookies until lightly golden, 15–18 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
Do Ahead: Cookies can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
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