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Kleija
Date-filled cardamom cookies
Kleija (كليجا): Qassim cardamom and saffron cookies stuffed with dates
Kleija is the pride of Qassim, the farming heartland north of Riyadh, where an entire festival in Buraidah is devoted to these round, stamped cookies filled with date paste and fragrant with cardamom, saffron and a little fennel. They are packed for journeys, offered to guests with Arabic coffee and baked in big batches before Eid. The pastry is short and crumbly with a soft, chewy date centre. A common mistake is overworking the dough after adding ghee, which makes it tough; mix just until it holds. Store them in a tin for a week. Chef's tip: roll the date paste into small balls with damp hands first, so each cookie gets the same amount and seals neatly.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- 3 ½ oz wholemeal flour
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp instant dried yeast
- 1 ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground fennel
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 oz gheemelted
- 1 pinch saffron threadssoaked in 2 tbsp warm water
- ½ cup warm milkplus extra as needed
For the filling
- 10 ½ oz date paste
- 1 tbsp ghee
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
For the top
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, 3 ½ oz wholemeal flour, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp instant dried yeast, 1 ½ tsp ground cardamom, ½ tsp ground fennel and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon in a bowl. Rub in 4 oz ghee with your fingertips until it looks like damp sand.
Step 2: Add 1 pinch saffron threads with its water and enough ½ cup warm milk to bring it together into a soft dough; mix only until it holds. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Knead 10 ½ oz date paste with 1 tbsp ghee and ½ tsp ground cardamom until soft, then roll into 24 small balls with damp hands.
Step 4: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line two trays. Divide the dough into 24 balls.
Step 5: Flatten a dough ball in your palm, set a date ball in the centre, wrap the dough around it and pinch to seal. Press into a disc about 1 cm thick and stamp the top with a cookie stamp or fork. Repeat.
Step 6: Brush with 2 tbsp milk, sprinkle with 1 tbsp sesame seeds and bake until golden on top and underneath, 16–18 minutes.
18 minStep 7: Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then on a rack. They firm up as they cool. Keep in an airtight tin for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kleija take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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