Israeli Date Rolls (ma’aroud)
Dates are such a versatile ingredient. They can be eaten fresh or dried but most are commonly sold dried, as fresh dates are very delicate. Dates can be used in baked good (like the date rolls I’m talking about today), as a topping in salads or used in salad dressings, eaten on their own with some goat cheese or peanut butter for a sweet and salty snack, and in smoothies for a touch of sweetness just to name a few examples.I love this date roll recipe so much because it makes such a delicious, beautiful looking cookie with the date filling rolled up in a crunchy yet soft cookie base, just like my mamma used to make for me in my childhood years. Not to mention it leaves your house smelling just heavenly!We made these date rolls in one of my summer camps for kids (multicultural cooking) and the children and parents couldn’t stop raving about them so I thought I’d share them here for you all.The superstar in this recipe are the dates from Terra Delyssa. They provide so much natural sweetness that there are only 4 tablespoons of sugar for 50 cookies! (No, that is not a typo!) This small but mighty fruit is high in fibre, which helps to regulate blood sugar, keep you satiated and lower blood cholesterol.
Ingredients
Dough
- 4½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cup semolina flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1½ cup water lukewarm
- 1 tsp rose water
Filling
- 1 kg dates pitted (if using a different variety, soak dates for 30 minutes if they are too hard to use). I used Terra Delyssa dates.
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- ½ cup grape juice
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- powdered sugar for decoration
Instructions
- 1. Mix the dry ingredients. Add the butter, oil, water, and rose water and use your hands to make dough. Add water as needed, until the dough comes together. Remember to always add slowly, because it's otherwise hard to fix a mistake of adding too much.
- 2. Cut dates into small pieces and add the oil. Mix the dates with grape juice and cinnamon.
- 3. Divide the dough into 2 balls; roll each ball to a ½ cm thick. Spread the date mixture over the dough and fold to make a roll. Slice the roll ½ inch thick to make circles. Place these cookies flat on a baking sheet.
- 4. Bake at 350° F for 35 minutes until top is golden. Let cool, then separate the slices and spread powdered sugar for decoration.
Notes
Recipe adapted from: https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/maaroud/
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