Date recipes

[minisoji]

Date filled cookies

Ingredients:
Maida (all purpose flour) - 3 cup
Powdered sugar - ½ cup
Butter - 1 cup
Rose essence - few drops
Water - 3 tbsp, approx
For Filling :
Chopped dates - 1 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp

Method

1. Mix maida with sugar.
2. Add butter in small pieces and rub gently with fingers till it is evenly distributed.
3. Add essence. Sprinkle water, little at a time and knead the dough till it holds together.
4. Rest the dough in a cool place for ½ hour.

For Filling :

1. Combine butter and dates.
2. Sprinkle with very little water and heat gently till dates are softened. Cool.
3. Make lime size balls of dough. Fill with dates.
4. Flatten slightly and place on a greased baking tray.
5. Bake in a moderate oven(180C) for about 20 minutes, till pale brown on top.
6. Cool and store in an air tight container.

[minisoji]

Date and melon pudding

Ingredients

Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 6 tbsp
Vanilla custard powder - 2 tbsp
Seedless dates - 200 gm
Honey dew melon - 4 cups, peeled and cubed
Cashew nuts - 3 tbsp, chopped
Fresh cream and assorted nuts for decoration

Method

1. Chop dates, add 1 cup water and soak for 1 hr.
2. Add 3 tbsp sugar and cook till it becomes like jam.
3. Add cashew nuts.
4. Mix custard powder with 1\4 cup of milk.
5. Heat remaining milk.
6. When it begins to boil, add the custard powder and cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add remaining sugar.
8. Remove from fire and allow to cool.
9. Mash 2 cup of melon cubes and sweeten to taste with sugar if desired.
10. In a pudding bowl, pour alternate layers of melon pieces, custard, melon pulp and date mixture.
11. Decorate with cream and nuts and serve chilled.

[minisoji]

Date Toffee

Ingredients:

Finely chopped dates - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Ghee - ½ cup
Chopped walnuts - ½ cup

Method

1. Cook dates in milk over a small flame till soft
2. Add remaining ingredients and cook till a stiff lump is formed. (To test, cool some mixture and roll lightly between your fingers. It should form a ball that does not stick to your fingers.)
3. Spread on a greased surface, cool and cut into pieces.

[minisoji]

Date Nut Nuggets

Ingredients

Finely chopped dates - 1 cup
Marie biscuits - 12
Chopped walnuts - 1/4 cup
Orange marmalade - 2-3 tbsp
Corn flakes - ½ cup, crushed.

Method

1. Pour 4 tbsp of boiling water over the dates. Soak for 15 minutes.

2. Place on a slow fire and simmer till dates are soft and water is absorbed. Allow to cool.

3. Powder the biscuits and add to dates. Add walnuts.

4. Add marmalade little by little till the mixture is firm enough to be shaped.

5. Shape the date mixture into tiny balls and roll in crushed corn flakes.

6. Store in the refrigerator and serve cold.

[Silkovsky]

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