Maaruta date pastries

Name: Maaruta date pastries
Ingredients: 1 kg flour; 625 g margarine; 75 ml oil; 20 g baking powder; 16 g vanilla sugar; 100 ml rose syrup; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 kg dates; 30 ml oil; 100 g powdered sugar

Dessert - Maaruta date pastries by Miruna N. - Recipia

Maaruta is an Arab date pastry, usually served around the holidays. The dough wraps around the filling, and after baking the little pastries take on a little color and are covered in powdered sugar; the dough also contains rose syrup. I choose soft dates, but not so soft that they turn to paste when I pit them. Preparation: 60 minutes. Cooking: 18 minutes. Resting: 30 minutes. Total time: 108 minutes. Servings: 30. Approximately 380 kcal and 4 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

1 kg flour
625 g margarine
75 ml oil
20 g baking powder
16 g vanilla sugar
100 ml rose syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1 kg dates
30 ml oil
100 g powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Mix 1 kg of flour with 625 g of margarine, then mix in 75 ml of oil. 2. Add 20 g of baking powder, 16 g of vanilla sugar, 100 ml of rose syrup and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix until the dough comes together. 3. Remove the pits and skins from 1 kg of dates. Mix them with 30 ml of oil. 4. Divide the dough into balls about 3 cm across. Flatten them one at a time in your palm, put a little filling in the middle and cover it with dough. Press lightly with a fork if you want to give them a pattern. 5. Arrange the pastries on a baking tray and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 18 minutes, until lightly browned. 6. Leave them to cool for 30 minutes, then roll them in 100 g of powdered sugar.

Notes

Keep them in a closed container at room temperature; I don't refrigerate them, and they can keep for a few weeks. Soft dates are easier to break apart, while very dry ones make a more grainy filling; choose dates that you can press flat between your fingers. Small balls brown faster than large ones, so keep an eye on the color towards the end of baking. Sometimes the dough cracks if you flatten it too thinly in your palm; bring it back together before adding the filling. Sealing the dough is the step people often rush, even though all the filling needs to be covered and the edges pressed together. Flour contains gluten, and margarine may contain milk, depending on the brand. I serve them with black tea, alongside which the scent of rose stays subtle.