Date Cookies (Ka'ak al-Tamr) or Makrout al-Tamr

Ingredients

• 1 kilogram flour
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1/2 cup powdered milk
• 1 and 1/2 cups water or 1 and 1/2 cups warm liquid milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg beaten with orange zest
• 1 tablespoon mahleb; if not available it can be substituted with 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• Method for preparing the dough:
• Filling for ka'ak or makrout al-tamr:
• Dates with a little rose water or orange blossom water
• Method of preparing the ka'ak:
• Grind the pitted dates or you can use ready-made date paste...
• Dip the date ka'ak in sesame and grease the tray with oil... place the tray in the preheated oven and bake them over low heat....

Method

1. Mix all the dry ingredients first, then add the warm water or milk and the butter and knead well until you obtain a regular dough.... You can add more water according to the dough's needs or add flour if the dough is too soft...
2. Let the dough rest and ferment for about 3 hours...
   Timers: 180 min
3. When the ka'ak are baked and browned, brush them with a mixture consisting of: 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 tablespoon rose water...
4. Roll out the dough and stuff it, then close it into a cylindrical shape. Cut off the ends as shown in the picture so that a little of the date shows on the outside.