My favorite recipes have a way of making people linger at the table, and Palestinian Date Cookies (Ka’ak Asawer) encourages exactly that. It feels festive enough for company and just as welcome on an ordinary afternoon. The Middle Eastern spirit of the dish makes it especially lovely for sharing. Once it is in the oven, the kitchen begins to do that wonderful work of building anticipation.
Ingredients
- Makes 80 pieces
- 1 kilo all purpose flour
- 1 cup semolina
- 1/2 cup powder milk
- 1/2 cup powder sugar
- 1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds
- 1/3 cup black sesame seeds
- 1/4 tsp mastic rock ground
- 1 tsp mahlab ground (wild cherry pit)
- 2 tbs anise ground
- 1 tsp yeast
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 cup melted ghee
- 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water depending on the flour and how much it will take to form a dough
Filling
- 1 kilo date paste
- 1 tbs cinnamon ground
- 1 tbs anise ground
- 1 tbs. Fennel seed, ground
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg ground (optional)
- 1 tbs olive oil or ghee
Instructions
- Mix all the dry ingredients well, add the fats to the flour mixture and rub between the palms of your hand until the dough is saturated and forming tiny balls.
- Add the water gradually while kneading with your hands until you form a dough, cover and let rest for 1 hour to 3 hours.
- In the meantime prepare the filling by mixing the ingredients well and forming into slim cylinders.
- Cut the dough into small balls and shape lengthwise, place the date cylinder, flatten with your finger tip and pinch with your the dough around it pushing the seems together with your fingers, you then start rolling between your hands and on work mat to shape into a long cylinder(refer to reel), form into a circle stamp with your index and place on a baking sheet.
- After forming all your cookies bake in a 425 F preheated oven.
- Until golden from the bottom and then broil on top to get that golden color.
- Let cool completely and enjoy.
Notes
- Size of the bracelet depends on your liking, if you want small 20 gm for the dough, larger 30 gm.
- Once cooled store in an airtight container lined and topped with wax paper, what ever your not going to use keep in the container wrap in a plastic bag and keep in the fridge.