These cookies are very popular in Israel, and are really an easier version of the classic Arab filled cookie called maamoul.
Date spreads of various brands are available online, including from Israel, where they are very popular. You can also find it at some Israeli and kosher supermarkets.
Alternatively, you can soak 12 oz. pitted madjul dates in ⅔ cup boiling water, then use a food processor to mash them to a paste.
Rolled farina cookies with dates and nuts
Course: Cakes and cookiesCuisine: Israeli, ArabDifficulty: Medium30
cookies30
minutes30
minutes1
hourINGREDIENTS
- For the dough
1 cup flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup farina (farina like this one is ok, available at chain supermarkets)
1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup butter, cold
1 tablespoon rose water or orange water (ma zahar) (optional)
3 tablespoons cold water
- For the filling
16 oz. date spread (see note above)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup ground walnut
- To finish
Powdered sugar, for dusting
DIRECTIONS
- Oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl of a food processor, put flour, farina, powdered sugar, baking soda and kosher salt and mix for a minute. Add butter in small pieces and mix to get small crumbs. With food processor running, add rose water, if using (replace rose water with water, if you’re not using), and cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until a dough is formed. Remove from the food processor. If the dough seems very sticky and soft, put it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
- The best and easiest way to roll this dough is between two pieces of parchment paper, about 12 inch x 16 inch in size. Put ½ of the dough on a piece of parchment paper, top with the other piece of paper and use a rolling pin to gently roll dough to ⅛ inch thick rectangle.
Alternatively, roll the dough directly on a countertop that’s dusted with flour. Dust the rolling pin with flour too. Using half the dough at a time, gently roll dough to ⅛ inch thick rectangle, keep dusting the dough and rolling pin, as the dough is very sticky. - Use an icing spatula to spread half the date spread all over the dough. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and half the ground walnut. Gently roll the dough to create a roulade, using the parchment paper to help you roll it. If you worked on a countertop dusted with flour, you can use a clean icing spatula to release the dough from the surface as you roll it over the filling. Transfer to the lined baking sheet and repeat with the second half of the dough.
- Use a sharp knife to mark the cookies on the top of each roulade. This will help cut them later in a clean way.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, it will still be pretty tender, but will harden after about 10 minutes outside. Cut each roulade to cookies when it’s still hot and sprinkle with powdered sugar. You can serve the cookies immediately, but they keep well in a sealed container at room temperature up to ten days.