Iraqi Kleicha

Resembling tiny pinwheels, those date filled round -shaped kleicha are a staple treat in Iraqi households around Eid! They would go so well with coffee or tea and would round out a cookie assortment. They are a bit of a project to make but worth every minute of it.

If you haven’t baked with dates, I tell you kleicha is a very good start, the end result is so worth it – you will love adding these to your holiday buffet! They are the perfect cookies to make ahead, and you would happily want to make them again and again!

What is Kleicha?

Two crispy dough sandwiched liberally with a date paste then the whole thing is rolled into a log. When sliced, the date creates an interesting pattern. But still don’t obsess if yours doesn’t form a perfect pinwheel, they are meant to have that rustic look! They are a staple treat in Iraqi households around Eid and would make a light, refreshing addition to your holiday dessert platter, though a bit of a project to make but worth every minute of it.

What type of dates are best to use in making kleicha?

Use fleshy, soft and moist dates like Omani, Khudri or Medjool dates, and avoid any dry type, since you are going to transform them to a soft paste.

Dates and Cardamom are a match made in food heaven!

It is cardamom, a familiar name in the spice world, that adds warmth and depth to the filling in kleicha. The combination of dates and cardamom is a heavenly match. You can use ready ground cardamom, but for a more dramatic flavor, remove seeds from pods, grind  with a mortar and pestle and add to the dates,  a combination that is fragrant, unique and saporous tasty.

How to make a vegan Kleicha!

As you must have noticed in the ingredient section that most of the items used are vegan, except for butter in the filling and egg wash before baking. To make it a vegan kleicha use neautral oil like sunflower or canola oil to replace butter. As for the egg wash, I would recommend you mix together two tablespoons of almond milk with one tablespoon of maple syrup and brush the kleicha discs before baking!

What makes this kleicha recipe distinctive?

Apart from the fragrant date filling, the dough is flaky and crispy; the recipe has been handed down to me by my sister Susan (read the story below) She has tasted and tested loads of kleicha cookies, but this remained her favorite, and it is my new favorite too!

How to strore kleicha

Make sure kleicha cookies cool completely before storing. Store them at room temperature in an air-tight container and they will last for 1 week. To prolong the shelf life freeze covered with cling film.

And now let’s get started

In a large ceramic or glass bowl, add the flour, salt and cardamom powder. Mix with your hands. Heat the sunflower oil a bit and add to the flour mixture. Mix in the ¾ cup of lukewarm water, and finally add the proofed yeast. Knead the mixture well until you end up with a malleable dough.

Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for 1 hour.

Pull open the dates and remove the pits using a serrated knife. Roughly cut the dates; add the oil and butter and mix well. Transfer the date mixture to a food processor and blend to get a paste.

On a flat surface, roll out the date paste between two sheets of  parchment papaer to a rectangle of 30 cmx 22 cm/ 12 x 7 inches.

When the dough has doubled in size, divide it into 2 equal portions. Roll out each dough between two sheets of lightly floured parchment paper to a 1 1/4 cm, about ½ inch-thick and each to a rectangle 30 x 22 cm /12 x 7 inches. Peel off the top of waxed paper from each.  Invert the date on top of one dough. Carefully turn out the second dough onto the date paste layer.

With a pizza cutter, cut into 3 equal portions.

Roll up tightly each portion to a jelly roll-style, starting with the long side

Creating 3 equal logs.  Roll out several times back and forth to smooth it

With a sharp knife slice each log into equal discs bout 2.5 cm/ 1 inch wide pieces. Transfer the cookies to an oven sheet lined with parchment paper and brush the top of each cookie with the egg wash.

Bake in a preheated oven to 200°C/400°F, to a golden color, it takes about 12 minutes. Enjoy.

Resembling tiny pinwheels, those date filled round -shaped cookies are a staple treat in Iraqi households around Eid! They go so well with coffee or tea and round out a cookie assortment. They are a bit of a project to make but worth every minute of it.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, for the dough
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• A pinch of salt
• ¾ cup lukewarm water
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with a drop of vinegar, to brush the dough before baking, and for a vegan option  combine together non-dairy milk and maple syrup together.

To proof the yeast:

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 6 tablespoons of lukewarm water, to proof the yeast
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, to help activate the yeast

For the filling:

• 1 kg/2lb. 4 oz. dates
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened, or sunflower oil for a vegan option
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder

Directions:

1. To proof the yeast: In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast with the lukewarm water and sugar. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes. You will notice a bubbly foam on the surface. This is an indication that your yeast is fresh and not expired

To make the dough:

1. In a large ceramic or glass bowl, add the flour, salt and cardamom powder. Mix with your hands.
2. Heat the sunflower oil a bit and add to the flour mixture.
3. Mix in the ¾ cup of lukewarm water, and finally add the proofed yeast. Knead the mixture well until you end up with a malleable dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for 1 hour.

For the filling:

1. Pull open the dates and remove the pits using a serrated knife. Roughly cut the dates; add the cardamom powder, oil and butter and mix well. Transfer the date mixture to a food processor and blend to get a paste. (You may probably need to do that in batches).

To put together:

1. On a flat surface, roll out the date paste between two sheets of  parchment papaer to a rectangle of 30 cmx 22 cm/ 12 x 7 inches.
2. When the dough has doubled in size, divide it into 2 equal portions,
3. Roll out each dough between two sheets of lightly floured parchment paper to a 1 1/4 cm, about ½ inch-thick and each to a rectangle 30 x 22 cm /12 x 7 inches.
4. Peel off the top of waxed paper from each.  Invert the date on top of one dough,
5. Carefully turn out the second dough onto the date paste layer.
6. With a pizza cutter, cut into 3 equal portions.  Roll up tightly each portion to a jelly roll-style, starting with the long side, creating 3 equal logs.  . Roll out several times back and forth to smooth it
7.   Roll out several times back and forth to smooth it.
8. With a sharp knife slice each log into equal discs bout 2.5 cm/ 1 inch wide pieces.
9. Transfer the cookies to an oven sheet lined with parchment paper and brush the top of each cookie with the egg wash.
10. Bake in a preheated oven to 200°C/400°F, to a golden color, it takes about 12 minutes. Enjoy.

Making Kleicha my mind travelled to our first visit to Canada! Ramzi and I flew off to Montreal to visit our kids and family! We had pretty good time and our kids were the experts that showed us the town! We stopped for 2 days in Toronto where we stayed with my sister, brother, sister in law and the kids, then continued back to Montreal!Montreal, a cool city similar to Europe in terms of architecture and Cathedrals, and good restaurants are abundant and diverse; Toronto, a new city with high rise buildings! We were fortunate enough to visit Niagara Falls, everything was white and some sections of the waterfalls were frozen, a breathtaking scene and absolutely beautiful, but I bet that we will have to explore the two cities in the summer, that’s what everyone declared!

We had an unforgettable dinner at my sister’s place in Toronto! Susan, a kind caring loving soul, has prepared a table full of wonderful Lebanese delicacies to welcome us!. Split Lentil Soup, Tabbouleh, Grape leaves and zucchini,baked vegetarian omlette (ejji), frakeh, Malsa and baked chicken drumsticks! And for dessert she baked a huge batch of the Iraqi Kleicha/ Klaicha that turned out phenomenal! The dough is crispy on the outside with a soft date center accented with cardamom flavor! Susan declared that she has tested and tasted loads of kleicha cookies, but this remained her favorite, and it is my new favorite too! Thank you so much Susan for the quality time and the cherished memories, and thank you too for the amazing recipe. The morsels are simply sublime!

Watching Hockey in Montreal

Before depart, Susan packed a tin of kleicha and gave it to me to take to my hotel. I ate the entire batch by myself which wasn’t the best thing to happen to me when it comes to my diet, but it is easy to use vacations as an excuse to go off my diet; we have been invited for dinner at my husband’s family, brother, sisters and nephews and all are great cooks! I simply cherished the rare moments we had togther too! 

If you make "Iraqi Kleicha" , leave a comment below, or share your pictures on Facebook! I would love to see your creations!! Hashtag, #Hadia’s lebanese Cuisine