Palestinian Kahk Cookies (Printable Page)

Tender buttery Kahk filled with sweet dates and coated in sesame seeds, ideal for celebrations.

# What You Need:

→ Dough

01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
03 - 1/2 cup powdered sugar
04 - 1/4 cup milk, plus more as needed
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
06 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Filling

08 - 1 cup pitted Medjool dates, chopped
09 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)

→ Coating

12 - 1/2 cup sesame seeds (untoasted)

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, cream unsalted butter with powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
03 - Add vanilla extract, then gradually incorporate flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing thoroughly.
04 - Add milk one tablespoon at a time, kneading gently until soft, pliable dough forms. Cover and rest.
05 - Over low heat, combine chopped dates and butter in a saucepan; stir continuously until softened and paste-like. Stir in cinnamon and cardamom. Cool completely.
06 - Divide dough into 24 equal portions. Flatten each into a disk in the palm of your hand.
07 - Place 1 teaspoon of date filling in center of each disk. Fold dough over filling, seal edges and roll gently into a ball.
08 - Roll each ball lightly in sesame seeds until fully coated.
09 - Arrange cookies on prepared sheet. Flatten each gently with fork or cookie mold to create decorative pattern.
10 - Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until bottoms are golden and tops remain pale.
11 - Transfer to wire rack and cool completely before serving or storage.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They're tender enough to melt on your tongue but sturdy enough to mail to someone you love.
  • The date filling tastes like pure comfort without any refined sugar shenanigans.
  • One batch makes 24 cookies, and somehow they disappear faster than you'd expect.
  • They bridge the gap between homemade and impressive—people think you spent hours when it took maybe one.
02 -
  • The milk amount is a guide, not gospel—humidity in your kitchen matters, so add it slowly and adjust based on what the dough feels like, not what the recipe says.
  • If your date filling is too thick, a tablespoon of milk mixed in saves it; if it's too wet, you've added too much milk to the filling itself, so be patient when heating it.
  • Baking at 350°F instead of higher keeps the sesame from burning while the insides cook through, and checking at eighteen minutes means you can catch them before they become too firm.
03 -
  • Let the date filling cool completely before filling the dough, or the warmth will make the dough too soft and your filling will leak out during shaping.
  • If you don't have a cookie mold, a fork pressed gently in a crosshatch pattern looks just as beautiful and is something everyone has in their drawer.
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