By Lara Hammoudeh, Baker & Chocolatier
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A winner in our family is Date Makrouta. I love to indulge our loved ones (and myself) during ‘Eid Adha, and what better way than with this sweet cookie? Most of the sweetness comes naturally from the dates!
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Date Makrouta
Ingredients
200 ml sour cream
100g cold butter, cut into cubes
2 ½ cups flour
50g powdered sugar
½ tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup date paste (available at groceries stores)
Spices for filling to taste (anise seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves)
1 tsp orange blossom
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C
2. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
3. Add butter and mix
4. Add sour cream and continue mixing until smooth
5. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for one hour.
6. Cut the dough into two balls
7. Take one ball and place over floured surface and roll into a thin rectangle
8. Spread the date spread over the thin dough and start rolling the dough to form a log
9. Using a floured knife, slice the roll into chunky cookies, place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Do the same for the second roll
10. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes; cookies should remain soft
11. Coat with powdered sugar. Store in a sealed box for up to a week
