Lebanese semolina cookies recipe

By 9Honey | Kitchen
Difficulty not too difficult
Cooking time more than 2 hours
Serves serves 10 or more

INGREDIENTS

plain flour, 3 cups (“00” or bread flour if possible)
fine semolina, 2 1/3 cups
caster sugar, ¾ cup
unsalted butter, 500g, softened
milk, ¼ cup
orange blossom water,
2 tablespoons
rosewater, 1 tablespoon
icing sugar, to serve

DATE PASTE
pitted dates, 1½ cups
water, ¾ cups
caster sugar, 2 tablespoons
butter, 30g

METHOD

MAKES 24

Combine flour, semolina and sugar in a food processor. Add butter, process to a fine crumb. Pour in milk, orange and rosewater and pulse to form a soft dough. Wrap in plastic wrap, rest 2-3 hours.

DATE PASTE: Meanwhile, combine dates, water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil on high, stirring. Cook 6-8 minutes, until very dry. Cool 10 minutes. Place in food processor with butter. Process to a paste. Chill until required.

Knead dough 3-4 minutes until smooth and shiny. Divide evenly into 4. Roll each piece out between 2 sheets baking paper to a 16cm x 30cm rectangle (about 5mm thick). Chill for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to moderate, 180°C. Lightly grease and line 2 oven trays with baking paper.

Spread quarter of date paste along one long edge of one dough rectangle. Roll up tightly. Then roll out to a thin 40cm length.

Cut into 6. Roll each piece to 1cm thick ropes. Join ends to make
a ring shape, smoothing over join. Transfer to tray. Repeat with remaining dough and paste.

Bake 10-15 minutes, until just lightly golden on the bottom. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

TOP TIP

This “sticky” dough will get easier to roll at room temperature, so avoid adding extra flour.