Oriental semolina and date cake (Makrout)

Preparation steps

• prepare first everything you need for the dough.
• in a mixing bowl, mix two types of semolina, sugar and salt.
• add the melted butter, gradually stirring with your fingertips, until all the butter is combined. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for at least 30 minutes for the ingredients to come together. This mass can stand all night and only be filled tomorrow. The longer it stands the better.
• Prepare the date filling (dates): separate the dates from the stones and steam them for about 15 minutes until they soften.
• mash cooked dates with a fork, add sesame seeds, cinnamon, softened butter and a teaspoon of orange blossom water. *** Orange Blossom Water is a Middle Eastern spice addition to many dishes, primarily desserts such as baklava and sutlijaš. The popularity of this water has spread beyond the borders of the Middle East, so it is very often used in the kitchens of the Western Hemisphere, primarily France.
• mix everything to get a homogeneous mass.
• make a dough: gradually sprinkle on the mixture bite a solution of water and water of orange blossom until the mass is combined. Mix well.
• now make a long loaf and indent it in the middle to insert the filling. It is better to divide the dough into two parts so that the loaf is not too long. That's how you get two loaves. The same goes for fil. Thin it into a long roll no thicker than 1 cm.
• insert file ...
• close the roll
• Squeeze the dough with a light pressure of a flat knife. The pattern can be optional. Not necessarily like this. I paint under 45 * to make it easier to cut.
• Cut the roll under 45 * into cookies. It turns out about 30 pieces. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake at 170 * for about 30 minutes.
• On the stove, gently heat the mixture of lemon and honey with two tablespoons of water.
• Dip hot cakes in warm syrup and take out on a serving plate. Don’t worry if it leaks or you have a topping left. Pour it over the cake. In time, everything will be absorbed.
• This is my version with stuffed balls. Everything is prepared exactly the same, only instead of a roll, you make a ball, press the filling hole with your finger, insert the filling and close it. Slightly press the ball and pattern just like the roll. It is baked and melted in honey just like cut cakes.
• I make a dry version in the form of these round cookies for my children and their friends. They just adore them.