Arabic recipesSweets
Iraqi Kleicha: Spiced Cardamom Pastries with Dates & Walnuts
Kleicha is Iraq's beloved national holiday cookie, made from flour rubbed with warm ghee, green cardamom, and aniseed and shaped into pinwheels or stamped parcels around spiced dates or rose-scented walnuts. Brushed glossy and baked golden, a tin of kleicha anchors Eid mornings and everyday Iraqi tea.
Also known as:Baghdadi Eid kleichaIraqi date pinwheel cookiesCardamom walnut klija
Servings30
Prep time45 min
Cook time18 min
Ingredients
Add ingredients to cart- For the dough: 600 g plain flour, 220 g warm melted ghee plus 50 ml neutral oil, 1 tbsp freshly ground green cardamom, 1 tsp ground anise and fennel, 1 tsp instant yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, pinch of salt, about 180 ml lukewarm milk
- For the date filling: 400 g pitted soft Medjool dates kneaded warm with 1 tbsp ghee, 1/2 tsp cardamom, and a pinch of cinnamon
- For the walnut filling: 150 g finely chopped walnuts tossed with 2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cardamom, and 1 tbsp rose water
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk for brushing
Preparation Steps
- 1Whisk flour, cardamom, anise, fennel, and salt, pour in the warm ghee and oil, and rub between your palms for 5 minutes until every grain of flour is coated.
- 2Dissolve yeast and sugar in lukewarm milk, fold gently into the crumbly flour until just cohesive without overworking the gluten, and rest covered for 30 minutes.
- 3For date pinwheels, roll dough into a thin rectangle, top with a thin sheet of spiced date paste, roll tightly into a log, and slice diagonally.
- 4For walnut parcels, spoon walnut filling onto small dough rounds, pinch into half-moons with a braided rim, or press into a wooden kleicha mould.
- 5Brush tops lightly with egg wash and bake at 190 °C for 15 to 18 minutes until burnished golden.
