Ka'ak bi Ajwa (Date Ring Cookies) Palestinian, Middle Eastern

Name: Ka'ak bi Ajwa (Date Ring Cookies) Palestinian, Middle Eastern
Prep time: 660 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 675 min
Yield: 50 pieces
Cuisine: Palestinian & Jordanian
Ingredients: 6 cup farina; 2 cup rendered butter; 1 cup flour; 0.5 cup oil; 3 tbsp sugar; 0.25 tsp Mahlab; 0.25 tsp gum arabic; 0.5 tsp salt; 0.5 package yeast (1/4 ounce); 0.75 cup water; 0.75 cup milk; 3 lb dates; 0.5 tsp cinnamon; 0.5 tsp nutmeg; 1 tbsp rendered butter

Cookies of farina, gum arabic and dates, scented with mahlab and cinnamon and baked in the oven. It's finished with powdered sugar.

11 hr 15 min · Serves 50 · Takes some skill

Method

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Time: Prep 660 min · Cook 15 min · 675 min total
Difficulty: hard

1
Mix smeed, flour, salt, sugar, and butter/oil in a large pan. Cover and leave for ten hours, or overnight.
2
Dissolve the yeast in 2 tablespoons water and a dash of sugar. When it rises, add to smeed mixture.
3
Dissolve mahlab and miska in cold water. Add to smeed mixture. Combine warm water and milk. Pour gradually while mixing all the ingredients together. (Do not knead, just stir the mixture to have a moist crust rather than a dough).
4
Mix dates, nutmeg, cinnamon, and butter in a pan and warm to soften dates. Knead well. Roll dates in 1/3 inch thick balls. Cut a piece of dough, one at a time, the size of a walnut. Spread lengthwise, 4" by 1". Fill with date ball and roll, sealing the sides together to form a ring.
5
Pinch the rings with a cookie tweezer to decorate (so powder sugar will stick to it). Place on baking sheets and bake at 400 degrees in a preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until light gold. (Place baking sheet on top rack).
15 min
6
Baking instructions are the same for either variation! When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar. When completely cool, freeze or store in tightly covered jars.