These traditional buttery holiday cookies are filled with an earthy walnut or date filling and then dusted with confectioners' sugar.
Recipe type: Cookies, Baklava, and More
Serves: 24 cookies
Ingredients
1[1/2] cupsall-purpose flour
1[1/2] cupssemolina flour
1 tsp.baking powder
[1/2] tsp.salt
1 cupbutter, melted
[1/4] cupwhole milk
1 TB.orange blossom water
1[1/2] cups ground walnuts
[1/4] cupsugar
[1/4] tsp. ground cinnamon
10 dates (pitted )
1 TB.water
3 TB.confectioners' sugar
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, semolina flour, baking powder, salt, butter, whole milk, and 1 tablespoon orange blossom water. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
In a food processor fitted with a chopping blade, blend walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon for 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
In food processor, blend dates, orange blossom water, and water for 30 seconds or until smooth.
Pinch off 3 tablespoons of dough, and using your hands, flatten dough into a 3-inch circle. Place 1 tablespoon either walnut mixture or date mixture in center of dough circle, and seal dough around filling, forming a ball.
Press ball into a cookie mold or create a design on surface of dough using the back of a fork.
Place cookie on a baking sheet, repeat with remaining dough and filling, and bake for 20 minutes.
Cool cookies on a cooling rack for 20 minutes.
Dust cookies with confectioners' sugar, and serve.
Notes
Tasty Tip If you don't have or cannot find orange blossom water, replace that flavoring with the flavoring of your choiceâ€â€Âvanilla extract, almond extract, coconut extract, etc.