Assabeh Tamr (Date Fingers)

Ingredients:

For the Dough:
700g flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground aniseed
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp ground Mahlab
120g melted butter
220ml whole milk

For the Filling:

450g pitted Medjool dates
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp ground green cardamom seeds
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg beaten with a saffron thread as egg wash

Method:

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, aniseed, salt and mahlab in a large bowl. Whisk together but melted butter and milk then slowly add this milk mixture to the flour, stirring all the while. Finally use your hands to bring the dough together (add more milk if it's too stiff and more flour if it's too wet). Once you have a stiff dough cover the bowl and set aside for two hours to rest.

Meanwhile prepare the filling by combining the dates, butter, cardamom and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture forms a smooth paste.

Divide the dough and filling into thirds. Roll one piece of dough on a floured surface into a 2cm thick rope. Flatten this with your fingers until it's 5cm wide along its length. On a clean surface roll the date filling into a 0.5cm thick rope. Place this rope down the middle of the dough then pinch the sides of the dough together so that it encases the filling. Roll the filled dough with your hands to seal it. Then, using the back of a fork form a decorative pattern along the back of the dough and cut into 3cm lengths. Place these on a greased baking tray. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling.

Brush each 'finger' with egg wash and place in an oven pre-heated to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6) and bake for about 25 minutes until golden. Cool on wire racks and store in a tight-lidded box in the fridge (they will last for a fortnight). Alternatively you could freeze them.