Traditionally, special wooden dishes are used for these cookies, one kind for each filling. Use what cookie dishes you may have.
MAKES: about 20 cookies
INGREDIENTS:
DOUGH:
- 6 cups (720 g) coarsely ground semolina
- 1 cup (120 g) finely ground semolina or durum wheat flour
- 3 cups(680 g) butter
- 1 cup (237 ml) rose water and orange blossom water, mixed according to preference
FILLING:
- 2 cups (250 g) chopped or ground walnuts
- 2 cups (250 g) chopped or ground pistachios
- 2 cups (about 300 g) date paste or mixed dates
- 2½ cups (500 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons rose water
- ½ tablespoon orange blossom water
- ⅕ cup (25 g) flour
- ⅖ cup (48 g) powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Mix the two semolina varieties in a bowl.
- Add the melted butter and work together by hand.
- Mix the rose water with the orange blossom water according to your preferred proportions. Knead until you have a smooth and soft dough.
- Allow the dough to rest for at least 1 hour. The longer you let it sit, the more flavor it will have.
- Make three different kinds of filling by adding ⅘ cups of granulated sugar to the walnuts, to the pistachios, and to the date paste. Dash with a little bit of rose water and orange blossom water over all three fillings.
- Shape small balls out of about 2 tablespoons of the dough. Flatten them between your palms and add a tablespoon of filling in the center of each. Pinch at the edges.
- Sprinkle little cookie molds with flour and place the ball inside, carefully pressing to cover the entire mold.
- Empty the molds by beating the backs lightly with a spoon. Place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake at 450°F (225°C) for 30 minutes, or until they get some color.
- Allow to cool. Sprinkle the nut filled variations with a lot of powdered sugar and leave the ones with the date filling as they are.
