Nadiya Hussain’s Kleicha: Date Swirled Cookies
Nadiya Hussain's gorgeous date swirled cookies are the perfect snack to break the fast during Ramadhan, but are equally delicious with a cup of tea year-round.
From the book
Rooza: a journey through Islamic cuisine inspired by Ramadhan and Eid
30 days' worth of meal and dessert inspiration for the month of fasting, plus feast-worthy recipes for the celebration of Eid
A heartfelt culinary exploration of the Islamic world
Drawing from the cuisines of Indonesia, Libya, Tunisia, Mauritius and more, as well as Nadiya's own Bangladeshi heritage
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Introduction
Dates are a huge part of Ramadhan and not just to break your fast with. They are a great ingredient to bake and cook with too. This date and nut paste makes for a sweet and aromatic filling in these swirly biscuits, perfect with a cup of tea for a light treat after breaking your fast.
Ingredients
| For the dough: | |
|---|---|
| 225g | plain flour |
| 120g | salted butter, chilled and cubed |
| 1 tsp | ground cinnamon |
| 2 tbsp | icing sugar |
| 1 | egg, lightly beaten |
| icing sugar, for dusting | |
| For the filling: | |
| 150g | pitted dates |
| 100g | hazelnuts |
| boiling water, to cover | |
| To finish: | |
| 3 tbsp | golden syrup, warmed |
Method
Let’s start by making the dough. Put the plain flour in a bowl with the cubed butter. Rub the butter into the flour till there are no large lumps of butter and the flour looks less fine.
Add the ground cinnamon and icing sugar and mix through. Make a well in the centre and add the egg in. Bring the dough together gently, being sure not to knead it – just bring it together so you don’t have any floury bits left.
Shape into a square, wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling by putting the pitted dates in a bowl with the hazelnuts. Pour boiling water on top till they are submerged and leave to soak for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, drain completely, reserving any water, and blend to a smooth paste. Add a few tablespoons of the reserved water if necessary.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with some baking paper.
Dust the worktop with some icing sugar, unwrap the dough and roll the dough out to a 24cm square. Brush the date paste all over in an even layer. Roll up and freeze for 30 minutes.
After freezing, slice into 1cm swirly biscuits. Lay them out on the prepared baking tray and bake for 15–20 minutes, till they are golden brown.
Take them out, brush generously with the golden syrup and then wait for them to be just cool enough to eat, but still lovely and warm.
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