Palestinian Makrouta
Makrouta cookies are aromatic, filled with dates, and packed with fennel, anise, and cardamom. The result of this combination is rich, flaky, and addictive golden gems!
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 2⅓ cups flour
- 1 cup fine semolina
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons yeast
- 1½ cups warm milk
- ¼ cup ghee melted
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons nigella seeds toasted
- 1½ tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
- 3 tablespoons maamoul/ka’ak spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground mastic optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground mahlab optional
For the Date-Filling:
- 2 packages date paste
- 1 tablespoon ka’ak spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground mahlab
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon ghee melted
Instructions
To Prepare the Dough
- Add all the dry ingredients together and mix well.
- Add the liquids slowly, mixing in between, and mix until soft ball forms.
- Cover and let it rise in a warm place until larger in size for about 1-1½ hours.
To Prepare the Date-Filling
- Mix the melted butter and ghee and add them along with the spices.
- Mix and knead until soft and not as sticky.
To Assemble the Makrouta
- When it's time, spread the dough into a really thin rectangle on top of a sprayed flat surface. You don't want it to be paper thin or too thick.
- Spread a thin layer of dates on the top and begin rolling. Roll 3 or 4 times, then cut it into long rolls.
- Cut each long roll into smaller pieces. Place the small pieces on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 10-15 minutes at 425 F, on the rack on top of the direct heat.
- Transfer to the top rack for a few minutes to get golden. If you don’t want a golden color, you can completely skip this step.
Notes
- If you don’t have Maamoul or Ka'ak spice, then you can make your own blend by mixing the following ingredients: 2 tablespoons of anise, 2 tablespoons of fennel, and 1 teaspoon of cardamom.
- Sift the dry ingredients well when adding them to the rest of the wet ingredients.
- Make sure to cover the dough with aluminum foil and let it rise in a warm place.
- Let your long roll dough rest for about 25 minutes before shaping it into small pieces.
- Don’t overcrowd the baking sheet with unbaked Makrouta. Otherwise, they will not bake well.
- For another look, you can brush the cut-up makrouta with a bit of milk and dip it in toasted sesame seeds.
Nutrition
Calories: 3998kcalCarbohydrates: 259gProtein: 13gFat: 328gSaturated Fat: 97gPolyunsaturated Fat: 29gMonounsaturated Fat: 189gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 274mgSodium: 384mgPotassium: 188mgFiber: 9gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 1401IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 555mgIron: 19mg
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