These mechbouz were a staple in every Iraqi household and, as such, made in very large quantities. Traditionally, they would use fresh dates, remove the pit, fry them lightly and continue to soften them by hand with a little oil before stuffing the dough – but now days we make them with ready-made date paste. 

Method:

• Leave all the ingredients out of the fridge to come up to room temperature.
• Mix the yeast and sugar together in a small bowl with 80ml lukewarm water. Set aside and wait for the yeast to activate and foam.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together and, using an electric mixer if possible, mix with the oil and yeasted water.
• Mix, adding more water gradually as need to form a dough. Knead until the dough tightens underhand and, once ready, place it in a large, lightly oiled bowl, punch down and cover until risen. It should rise but not double.
• While the dough is rising, roll the date paste into small (approximately 25g) balls.
• Punch down the risen dough and weigh it. Divide the weight by 25 and separate the dough into equal pieces. Make a little ball with a piece of the dough, place a piece of the rolled date paste inside and roll to cover the filling. Flatten it with your palms or a rolling pin, repeat until the dough and filling is finished.
• In a small bowl, whisk your egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the mixture over the top of the mechbouz. Using a fork prick the cookies, creating several holes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
• Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Put the date biscuits on a baking parchment lined-tray on the floor of the oven and cook for 5 minutes, then move to the middle of the oven and cook for a further 3-5 minutes on 185°C.
• Serve as desired.

Recipe extracted from Bil’eifi: The Taste of My Iraqi Home

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