Klaicha Iraqi Date Cookies Food

KLAICHA IRAQI DATE COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift flour and sugar; cut in butter.
• Mix orange flower water and water together.
• Pour in butter mixture; knead until smooth.
• Let dough rest 35 minutes.
• Chop dates small. Simmer in pan with butter until dates are soft, REALLY low, stir.
• Pinch off dough size of walnut.
• Roll out flat; add teaspoon of date mixture; roll up around; score with fork pretty pattern.
• Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

KLAYCHAH (DATE COOKIES)

Steps:

• In saucepan, combine dates, butter, water, cardamom and cloves.
• Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until dates become a paste.
• Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well; add shortening and milk. Knead into dough, adding more flour or milk if necessary.
• Divide dough into 4 parts then roll, one at a time, to about 1/4-inch thickness.
• Divide date paste into 4 parts and roll each out, between sheets of wax paper, to match dough size.
• Remove wax paper; place date layer on dough. (If date paste is too soft, gently spread each portion on dough with knife.)
• Roll into cylinder, jellyroll style.
• Slice rolls into 1-inch pieces and place on greased baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated 325F oven 35 minutes or until cookies begin to turn golden brown.
• Let cool.

GLUTEN FREE KLAICHA - DATE FILLED COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift flours and xanthan into a mixing bowl and combine well. Add in the sugar and mix evenly.
• Cut room temperature butter into small pieces and rub into flour with fingertips until distributed evenly. I do this in a food processor and just keep pulsing until the butter is evenly distributed and there are no clumps. Don't walk away and leave the machine on or you will end up with a butter ball.
• Mix the rose water with the filtered water and sprinkle onto flour mixture. Pulse again to form a firm dough and then knead lightly until smooth. Cover the dough with cling film and rest for about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile make the filling - Chop the dates and then gently heat them on low with the butter, stirring until the dates have softened - about 5 - 10 minutes, depending on your dates. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Roll the dough into small round balls about the size of a large walnut or tablespoon.
• Flatten each ball like a pancake in the palm of your hand and place a teaspoonful of the date filling in the centre. Fold over the edges of the dough to close over and cover the date filling. Roll the dough back into a ball with your hands. This can be a bit tricky if you fill the balls with too much filling.
• If you want to be really traditional you can press each ball into a special Middle Eastern carved mould similar to a tabi. Alternatively, (which is the way I did it) press each side of the ball with a fork to indent, slightly flatten, and then press the sides of the balls to round up, before placing on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the oven at about 160 C / 325 F oven for 30 minutes until lightly browned.
• Allow the cookies to cool on the tray as they will firm up and get a little bit more crispy. Store in a sealed container for use later - if they last that long.