RAMADAN DATE COOKIES (QRASS BIL-TAMR)

Ramadan Date Cookies (Qrass Bil-Tamr) image

These date-filled cookies-Qrass Bil-Tamr-are a typical Ramadan sweet, offered to guests and snacked on during the night before the fast begins again at dawn.

Provided by Anissa Helou

Yield Makes about 40

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

2 cups (350g) semolina
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon (50 g) all-purpose ﬂour, plus more for rolling the dough
¼ tsp. instant (fast-acting) yeast
¼ cup (50 g) baker's sugar or superﬁne sugar
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (150 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 Tbsp. orange blossom water
3 Tbsp. rose water
12 oz. (350g) dried date paste
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. (30 g) unsalted butter, melted

Steps:

To make the dough: Mix the semolina, all-purpose ﬂour, yeast, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the softened butter and, with the tips of your ﬁngers, work it in until fully incorporated. Add the orange blossom and rose water and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Roll the dough into a ball and place seam side down on your lightly ﬂoured counter. Cover with a very damp cloth and let rest for 1½ hours in a cool place.
To make the date ﬁlling: Put the date paste in a bowl. Add the cinnamon and gradually add the melted butter, working it in by hand until you have a smooth, soft paste. Pinch off a small piece and shape it into a disk 1½-inches in diameter and about ¼-inch thick. Place on a plate and make the remaining disks until you have used up all the paste. You should end up with 40 date disks. Cover with plastic wrap.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
To make date-ﬁlled cookies: Pinch off a piece of dough and roll into a ball the size of a walnut. Flatten it on your palm until you have a 3-inch disk that is about ¼ inch thick. Lay a date disk in the middle of the dough and ﬂap the dough over the date to cover it. Pinch the edges together-the date disk should be covered with an even layer of dough. Lightly press into the round ﬂat mold that is used for the date-ﬁlled cookies, then turn the mold over and tap the top edge lightly against a table while holding your other hand underneath to catch the cookie as it falls out of the mold. Slide the cookie onto a nonstick baking sheet, or one lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Make the remaining cookies in the same way. You should end up with 40 date cookies.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve or pack in an airtight container where they will keep for 2 weeks.