• For the dough:
• 2½ cups plain flour or 350 g
• 2 cups fine semolina or 330 g
• ½ teaspoon ground mahlab(Cherry seeds Spice)
• ½ cup butter or 100 g, melted
• ¾ cup ghee or 150 g, melted
• ¾ cup water or 180 ml
• 1 tablespoon rose water
• 2 tablespoons blossom water
• For the filling:
• 750 g dried dates, pitted and chopped
• ¼ cup butter or 50 g
• 1 tin Nestle Sweetened Condensed Milk or 397 g
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ cup toasted almonds or 100 g, blended
• ½ cup white sesame seeds, roasted or 50 g

In a bowl, mix flour with semolina and mahlab. Add the butter and ghee and work the mixture with fingers tips until all ingredients are well combined.

Mix water with rose water and blossom water, then sprinkle on the dough while mixing continuously with finger tips. Cover and place in fridge for 1 hour.

In a bowl, mix dates with butter. Gradually add Nestle Sweetened Condensed Milk while stirring constantly, then add nut, almond and sesame seeds. Mix all the ingredients well until a soft paste forms.

Knead the dough again, then divide it into 2 equal portions and brush a 25 x 30cm oven tray with butter.

Roll out the first dough portion into 3 mm thick, and place onto bottom of the tray.

Roll out the date paste into 1 cm thick, and place over the dough.

Roll out the remaining dough and cover the dates.

Bake in a 190°C preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until is lightly browned.

Once it cools, cut the dough using a sharp knife into small bars or as desired.

by Pak101.com (few years ago!) / 879 views