🍪 Kleija (Qassim Date Cookies)

Method

1. In a large bowl, rub the 4 cups flour with the 1 cup melted ghee using your fingertips until absorbed and it looks like damp sand.

2. Add the 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp yeast, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp of the ground cardamom, plus cinnamon or saffron if you have them, and mix.

3. Gradually add the 1 cup warm milk and knead for 5 minutes into a smooth, firm dough.

4. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, mix the 200 g mashed dates with the 1/2 cup date syrup and the remaining 1 tsp cardamom into a thick filling.

6. Preheat the oven to 180°C, roll the dough out half a centimetre thick and cut into circles with a glass or cutter.

7. Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of one circle, cover with a second circle and press the edges with your fingers to seal.

8. Stamp the tops with a mould or fork, sprinkle with sesame if you have it, and arrange on a tray.

9. Bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes until golden on top and bottom.

10. Let them cool completely on a rack, then serve or store in an airtight tin.

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