I promised ethnic foods and here’s the first of many to come! My mom baked these the day before we arrived in Jordan. We love dates, especially my son. And I don’t mind–they are a super fruit.

This dough and date combo can be done many ways. Circles, layers, or rolls. These rolls are the perfect addition to a cup of tea, coffee, or milk. With the addition of seeds and whole wheat flour, fiber content is higher than your traditional cookies. Oh, and let me not forget to mention that it’s made with olive oil and no sugar was added!

Ingredients

• 3 cups white flour –my mom uses liquid measuring cups when measuring flour, so do that or adjust if you are using dry measuring cups
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 tbsp ground anise
• 2 tbsp ground fennel
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp black seeds
• 1/3 c sesame seeds
• 1 c olive oil
• 2 c lukewarm water
• 2 lbs soft dates, pitted
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground fennel
• 1 tsp ground anise

Mix the dry ingredients up to the sesame seeds. Add the oil and mix until well coated. Slowly add water and use your hands to make a soft dough. It shouldn’t be too sticky.

Mix the dates with cinnamon, fennel, anise, and a little bit more olive oil. If the dates are tough, microwave until soft and use your hands to make a ball-like dough.

Take large handfuls of the flour dough, roll less than 1/8 inch thick (you may want to use parchment paper to move the dough around) and about 5-6 inches wide. Roll the dates to a match the dough size and thickness.

Once you have the date sheet on top of the dough, fold to make the roll. Slice, about 1 inch thick, and place on a non-greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 F until bottom is golden. Broil until top is golden.

Allow to cool.