Semolina Cake

For the Cake:
250 grams  semolina  (dry roast and keep aside)
150 grams sugar (=3/4 cup)
100+50 melted butter
1/2 cup coconut (= grated coconut )
1/2 cup yogurt
1 ts vanilla

For the Syrup:
150 gr sugar
125 ml water (=1/2 cup)
juice of a small lemon
vanilla

Method  :
Preheat the oven to 350F /180 deg. C.   In a bowl mix the semolina with 100 gr of the melted butter.
Add the sugar and coconut and mix.  . Add the yogurt and vanilla and mix .
Pour the cake batter into a buttered baking dish .   Mark small squares/diamonds  on the batter.  Do not cut – just mark the outlines.
Bake the cake in the hot oven for 20 minutes.   Take the cake out of the oven and spread with the remaining 50 gr butter.    Continue to bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cake is golden- brown.-

In the meantime make the syrup.  Cook the syrup ingredients, bring to boil and cook for 5 minutes); let the syrup cool until the cake is done.
Pour all the syrup at once on the hot cake.   After cooling and when the cake is s still warm cut into squares .  Best eaten warm;   though tastes equally good when chilled too.

Semolina Cookies with Dates

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪
Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
So to honor Him. Pa rum pum pum pum
When we come
Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That’s fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?
♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

These Semolina Cookies bound together with butter, orange blossom water and rose water,  hold a delicious date stuffing,  which is ahhhh…so good.   Get hold of some good quality dates;  we in the Middle East get a variety.  I had purchased a 5 Kg. pack to gift to our friend in Malaysia;  but as our trip was cancelled,  the box was still with me, lying sadly in a corner.   I decided to make good use of the Dates and thats how these Semolina Date Cookies saw the light of day.

If you are a ‘Date Lover’ like me…..you are going to fall for these yummies.

Ingredients needed :
450 grams coarse semolina
100 grams  fine semolina
225  grams good quality butter at room temperature
75 ml rosewater
15-20 ml orange blossom water
1/4 cup milk
(You need a Mould for the cookies – or else you can just shape into a round and flatten it slightly)

Filling :  2 cups of pitted dates and ½ cup of room temperature butter + ½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder.  Pulse together in a blender..then knead together and form  marble  (big) sized balls. Keep aside to use as stuffing for the cookies.

Knead the coarse and fine semolina with the butter until incorporated.  Add orange blossom water and rosewater and knead till a mass is formed..say about 5-10 minutes.  Rest the dough for one hour in the fridge and then remove and add ½ cup of milk a tablespoon at a time and knead the dough till all the milk is used up.  Your dough will be not sticky now and is somewhat like clay now.  Make a small ball  and press it to make a cup like shape. Add the date ball and then cover it up with the dough and make it a nice and even ball.

Put it in a mould and then lay it on a wax lined cookie tray.  Preheat the oven to 180 deg C and bake for 15-20 minutes till you see the cookies just turning a slight brown.

When cool – store in an air-tight container.   These Date Cookies are loaded with lots of butter, thus will be very buttery and melt-in-the mouth type.  These can be stored for 10-15 days.