Walnut and Date Filled Cookies

From the Cookbook “the New Persian Kitchen" by Louisa Shafia 

If you’ve ever tried baking hamantaschen yourself, then you know they can be difficult to make. A simpler stand-in for hamantaschen is the Persian koloocheh, a cookie stuffed with a spiced mixture of nuts and dried fruit that’s made by Iranian Jews at Purim. 

"These butter cookies are unmistakably Middle-Eastern: Iranian Jews make them at Purim while Arabic Christians eat a similar cookie at Easter, as do Muslims during various Eid celebrations. The key to getting the cookies to keep their shape is to refrigerate them until firm after filling and shaping.The combination of gluten-free flours here produces a nutty taste and a light texture, but you can use an equivalent amount of white flour."

makes about 18 cookies

Dough
1 cup unsalted butter or refined coconut oil, at room temperature
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup fava bean flour
3/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp baking powder

Filling
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 Tbs honey
pinch of sea salt

Purim is one of the most meaningful holidays of the year for Iranian Jews, as the story of Purim took place in Iran. Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai are buried in the Northwestern city of Hamadan. Although the Jewish culture is declining in modern Iran, the food traditions of Iranian Jews continue to flourish and evolve in the expat’s adopted countries like Israel and the United States.

To make the dough, in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg and mix until just combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, cardamom and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and press it into a disk. Wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, until firm but still flexible.

To make the filling, combine 1/4 cup of the walnuts with the dates, cinnamon, orange juice, honey and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mixture forms a thick paste. Transfer to a plate and let cool to room temperature.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make each cookie, wet your hands and break off a lemon-size piece of the dough. Flatten the dough, or make a well in it using your thumb. Place 1/2 tsp of the filling in the middle, then pinch the dough closed and roll it into a ball. Flatten the dough gently between your palms to form a disc 1 inch thick , and place it on the lined baking sheet. Press a pinch of the remaining 1/4 cup walnuts into the centre of the cookie. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. 

Refrigerate the cookies for 45 minutes, until firm. While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 350F.

Bake the cookies for 25 minutes, until the undersides are golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. In a clean spice grinder, grind the remaining 1/2 cup sugar into a fine powder. Dust the cookies with the powdered sugar and serve. Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.