A traditional Iraqi crumbly dough swirl filled with dates – these kleicha date cookies are packed with flavour and are the perfect accompaniment to your cup of tea!

I grew up eating Kleicha. They were (and still are) my favourite sweet treats and definitely my favourite type of cookie. Date paste spiced with cardamom and cinnamon wrapped in a crumbly pastry, what’s not to love?! These Iraqi date cookies are similar to ma’moul, also date cookies popular throughout Middle Eastern countries but the dough is slightly different. Please don’t come at me for saying this, but of course I’m going to be biased and say I think the Iraqi version is so much better.

Traditionally, kleicha is made of white flour, butter and yeast, but I made mine healthier and gluten-free by using a mixture of ground almonds and rice flour (or you can use spelt flour, but they won’t be gluten-free). My version also has no added sugar in the dough or the filling! The dates are sweet enough that I didn’t feel the need to add any extra sugar. I also used coconut oil instead of butter to make the recipe dairy-free and vegan.

If you’ve never tired these Iraqi cookies before, you need to give them ago. They’re great if you want a healthier dessert that’s so tasty and sweet without needing to add any sugar. There’s also a fair bit of fibre in there from the dates and healthy fats from the almonds.

Kleicha – Date Cookies (كليجة)

Makes – 25-30

Ingredients

For the dough
1 cup (100g) ground almonds
1 1/4 cup (140g) rice flour (or you can use wholemeal spelt flour)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
80ml (1/3 cup/5 tbsp) coconut oil, melted
80ml (1/3 cup/5 tbsp) milk of choice

For the date filling
250g soft dates
120ml (1/2 cup) water + more if needed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
Pinch of salt
Sesame seeds to top

Method
Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/ 350F
Start by making the filling – add the dates and water to a pan and cook over a low/medium heat whilst mashing the dates with the back of a wooden spoon. Continue adding water until you have a smooth, but still thick and sticky mixture. You want it to be just thin enough to spread
In a large bowl, mix together the ground almonds, rice flour, salt and spices.
Add the melted coconut and milk and mix to form a dough*
Divide the dough in half, and roll out between 2 pieces of baking paper into a rectangle (28cmx18cm), then spread the date filling over the dough leaving the edges clear.
Now start rolling – take one side of the dough and use the parchment paper to roll the dough into a log.
Freeze the logs for 30 minutes to make them easier to slice.
Using a sharp knife, slice into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Carefully transfer the cookies onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
Bake for around 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Leave to cool completely, then enjoy!

Notes
* If the dough is too soft, refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to make it easier to roll
** I like to store mine in the fridge – they taste so much better in my opinion and the texture is so much better as well ?