Iranian Date-Filled Cookies
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 medium egg
- 40 grams powdered sugar
- 25 grams cooled melted solid oil or 30 grams cooled melted butter
- A pinch of vanilla
- 60 grams rice flour
- 65 grams white flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1-2 tablespoons milk if needed
Filling
- 70 grams pitted dates
- 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- A pinch of cardamom powder
- 2/3 teaspoon coconut powder
- 2/3 teaspoon sesame seeds
Preparation
Filling
Place pitted dates with one or two tablespoons of water over low heat until the dates soften and the water evaporates.
Add cinnamon, cardamom powder, sesame seeds, coconut powder, and optionally cocoa powder.
Dough
Mix the egg, vanilla, powdered sugar, and cooled melted oil or butter with a spoon.
Combine rice flour, white flour, and baking powder, sift them, and add in two or more stages.
If the dough is dry, add milk little by little; if it is sticky, add a bit of white flour until you get a soft and non-sticky dough.
Assembly
Roll out the dough between two sheets of plastic.
Optionally, make lines on it with a ridged rolling pin and cut with a square cutter.
Flip the cut dough so the lined side is down.
Place a small amount of filling in the center.
Fold the four corners over the filling.
Place the sweets seam side down on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.
Optionally, make lines with a toothpick and sprinkle with sesame or pistachio powder.
Baking
Preheat the oven to 175°C.
Bake for about 15 minutes with an empty tray at the bottom of the oven.
Tips
Do not omit the powdered sugar, as it significantly affects the quality of the dough.
You can reduce the powdered sugar to 30 grams if desired, but it may lower the dough quality.
For a different style, use a cutter to place the date filling between two pieces of dough.
After baking, brush with honey and sprinkle with pistachio slivers for added flavor.
