Iranian Style Date Sweet
Ingredients
Date filling
- 1 cup walnut halves
- 3 cups dates
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Dough
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup ghee
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Topping
- 2 cups crushed pistachios
Preparation
Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 180°C
Place walnut halves in a shallow pan and bake for 10 minutes to toast, then remove, sprinkle with cardamom, and let cool completely
Use a sharp knife to cut open the dates, remove the pits, and keep the dates whole
Stuff each date with a piece of toasted walnut and close it
Prepare a 9-inch baking dish
For the dough, in a heavy-bottomed pot, combine flour and ghee, cook over medium heat while stirring continuously until the flour toasts and becomes light brown
Pour half of the dough mixture into the baking dish, arrange the stuffed dates on top, and cover with the remaining dough mixture
In a small bowl, mix sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon together, sprinkle over the dough and dates in the dish, then sprinkle with crushed pistachios and press down firmly to adhere
Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let it cool in a cool place, not the refrigerator, until set
Cut the sweet into squares and serve with Arabic coffee
Tips
This sweet is perfect for serving with coffee or tea during special occasions
