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Kleicha: photo of the dish
Illustrative photo: Abodi009 — CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Snacks & baking

Kleicha

A small date-filled cookie flavored with cardamom, typical of Saudi Arabia, especially Najd and Hejaz. It is traditionally served with Arabic coffee during visits and festivals such as Eid.

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Ingredients

Ingredients

Garniture

Spices & seasoning

Optional extras

Nutrition facts

706 kcal per serving

Protein
11.8 g
Carbohydrates
104.2 g
of which sugars
54.6 g
Fat
24.9 g
Fiber
7.2 g

Ecomely’s estimate, calculated from the ingredients with the ANSES Ciqual food composition table, excluding sides and seasoning added to taste.

Instructions

  1. Mix the flour, powdered sugar, cardamom and a pinch of salt.
  2. Work in the soft butter with your fingertips until you have a fine sand-like texture.
  3. Add the orange blossom water and the milk, then knead just enough to form a soft dough. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
  4. Mash the dates with the cardamom and the nuts, if using, to get a smooth paste.
  5. Form small balls of dough, hollow them out and fill them with the date paste, then reseal them into balls.
  6. Lightly flatten each ball into a disc or small cookie shape.
  7. Place on a tray and bake in a 180 °C oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until just golden.
  8. Brush with melted butter as they come out of the oven and let cool before serving.

Variations and tips

Sugar-free version. Replace the powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of date syrup, and add 1 tablespoon of syrup to the date filling.

More ideas

Ghuzayil (cardamom sweet dough balls)35 min · 4 serv. · budget-friendlyDajaj Mahshi Lahm (chicken stuffed with meat)2 h · 4 serv.Foul Halawa (sweet fava beans)1 h 10 · 4 serv. · budget-friendlyHalwa shamia55 min · 8 serv. · budget-friendlyKa'ak Mahshi (date-filled biscuits)53 min · 4 serv. · budget-friendlyKhabees (dates and butter semolina)35 min · 4 serv. · budget-friendlyMansaf (Jordanian dish, also very common in northern Saudi Arabia)2 h 20 · 4 serv.Haneeth3 h 20 · 6 serv.

Original Ecomely recipe.