Iraqi Kleicha

Name: Iraqi Kleicha
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 24 servings
Cuisine: Iraq
Ingredients: 500g plain flour; 200g butter, softened; 100g icing sugar; 2 tsp cardamom; 1 tsp mahlab; 100ml milk; 500g dates, pitted and mashed; 1 tsp cardamom for filling

Iraq

The Iraqi cookie given at Eid, at weddings and whenever guests arrive. An Iraqi without kleicha is no host at all.

Iraqi date and cardamom cookies — buttery shortbread filled with date paste and cardamom, shaped into crescents or rings. The most beloved Iraqi sweet.

Photo: Abdulsalam Al Dabbagh

Prep

30 mins

Cook

20 mins

Difficulty

Medium

Calories

415 kcal

Serves

Calories are an estimate based on ingredients used

Ingredients

500gplain flour

200gbutter, softened

100gicing sugar

2 tspcardamom

1 tspmahlab

100mlmilk

500gdates, pitted and mashed

1 tspcardamom for filling

Method

Make dough: rub flour, butter and icing sugar. Add cardamom, mahlab and milk. Knead to smooth.

Mix date paste with filling cardamom.

Shape dough into rings or crescents with date filling inside.

Bake at 175°C for 18-20 minutes until pale gold. Do not overbrown.

Chef's Tip

Kleicha should be pale gold not brown — they continue drying as they cool.

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Iraqi Kleicha

Ingredients

Method

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