This Middle Eastern family recipe is from Afsaneh, a refugee mother whose young family is, after more than 10 years, celebrating their first Christmas in safety and freedom.
Afsaneh’s Kleicha
Middle Eastern date biscuits
This family recipe is from Afsaneh, a refugee mother whose young family is, after more than 10 years, celebrating their first Christmas in safety and freedom.
Kleicha [kle-cheh] is a traditional date-filled biscuit found across the Middle East.
This particular holiday recipe is an Iraqi variant, with some Iranian flavours like cardamom and rosewater incorporated. Some versions use walnut instead of date.
Kleicha is a usually served during holidays and celebrations, such as Easter and Christmas for Christians, and Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha for Muslims. The origins of this Middle Eastern biscuit date back to pre-Islamic times, to the Babylonian, Sumerian and Assyrian civilisations.
It is a much-loved sweet treat, best served with Iranian tea and enjoyed with loved ones. We hope you will try this family recipe during the festive season.
From Afsaneh’s family to yours, Merry Christmas.
“My favourite part of Christmas is the kids. They are on school holidays and we can have much more time together.
We love Christmas Day, the kids love Christmas Day - they are so excited for the presents.”
Afsaneh’s Kleicha (Middle Eastern date biscuits)
Ingredients
Dough
3 cups (435g) flour
1 cup (250g) butter, melted
1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (125ml) warm milk
1-2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
Date filling
1 cups (250g) date paste
1 tbsp neutral oil
1 tbsp ground cardamom
2 tbsp rosewater
Egg wash
Nigella seeds (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
For the date filling
Combine the date paste and neutral oil in a pan over low heat. We want to smooth out the date paste as much as possible. If your date past is already very smooth, you can skip this step.
Combine the paste with the 2 tsp of ground cardamom and rosewater – add more if you prefer a more aromatic flavour. Set aside.
*Note: if you can’t find date paste, make your own by deseeding 250g of dates, adding to a blender and blitzing until a rough paste forms. Slowly add a few spoonfuls of water as the blender is running to help smooth the paste.
For the dough
Add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt into a stand mixer. Start mixing on medium speed with a dough hook as you slowly pour in the butter.
Knead for 2-3 minutes, or until the butter is fully incorporated. The dough should resemble a pie crust. After the butter is mixed in, add the warm milk.
Proof the dough at room temperature for 15-30 minutes. It should be the consistency of pie dough and should not rise. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, and roll each into 5mm thick rectangles.
Date kleicha
Place the date filling between two sheets of baking paper and roll it to the size of two of your pastry rectangles. Cut in half.
Remove the top piece of baking paper and turn the date paste onto your first piece of dough. Then, remove the other sheet of paper.
Tightly roll the date filled dough 3 or 4 times into a log, then cut into even slices. Repeat with the second pastry sheet.
Place your kleicha on a baking tray lined with baking paper, poking holes in the dough with a fork. Brush each pastry with egg wash and top with nigella seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown
Enjoy your Middle Eastern date biscuits with a glass of Iranian tea ✨
Learn more about Afsaneh’s refugee journey from fear to freedom.
