Stuffed Cookies (Klejeh)

Ingredients

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cooking vegetable oil
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 large egg yolk
Filling 1
• 1/2 cup stoned chopped dates
• 1/4 cup walnut halves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Filling
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Instructions

1. In a small pot over medium heat place dates and cook with continues stirring until warm and very soft, add butter, cinnamon, and cardamom and mix remove from heat cover and set aside to cool down.
2. In a small bowl mix the coconut, sugar and cardamom and set aside.
3. In a large bowl place flour, salt, baking powder, and cardamom and stir to blend, make a well in the center pour oil and mix with spoon, then use fingers and rub the flour mix until crumbles and is like sand, add water and use hands and work the dough until a soft dough forms, cover with a plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes.
4. Take small piece of the dough shape into 2 inch ball, flatten to form a 1/4 inch thick disk, place 1 tablespoon of the date filling place 1 piece of walnut half in the center of the disk bring all sides together to close the disk and form a ball again place in special mold or stamp the surface with cookie stamps and place on a baking tray 1 inch apart. Continue with rest of the dough and the fillings (coconut or date and walnut) and use 1 mold or stamp for each kind of filling to be able to differentiate the cookies based on their filling.
5. In a small bowl place egg yolk add 1 teaspoon water and whisk, then brush all the cookies with the egg yolk.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 and bake the cookies on the oven’s middle rack for 15-20 minutes just until light gold in color. Take out of oven and let the cookies completely cool in the tray, plate and serve.