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For the dough,
rub butter in to flour and sugar. Use either
a food processor or a pastry cutter. Add in
flower water and just enough milk (water) to
bind the dough into a soft, malleable ball.
For the nut filling, mix the ingredients
together.
For the date filling, blend the dates in the
food processor with just enough water to
make a soft paste. If you can find date
spread that can be used as the filling.
Take walnut-sized lumps of dough. Make a
hole in the center with your thumb, and
enlarge it by pinching the sides as if
shaping a little pot, turning and pressing
against your palm. The walls should be quite
thin, any breaks are easily patched.
Fill the hole with one of the fillings to
three quarters full, and bring the dough up
over the opening to close into a ball.
Flatten the filled balls slightly and
arrange on a baking sheet with the smooth
side up.
Make a design by pinching all over the top
with dented pincers or by pricking with a
fork. This design on the top is ESSENTIAL to
trap the sugar. If you don't use it, the
cookies will not be sweet enough.
Bake in a preheated 325°F (160°C) oven for
20 to 30 minutes - no longer! DO NOT LET
THEM BROWN! The pastries will be very soft
and still pale when they come out of the
oven, but they will firm when they cool. Do
not try to move them until they do.
Sprinkle with lots of confectioners' sugar.
Posted by Raya Tarab, Z'L |
