Middle EasternQassimi Kleija (Date-Filled Cookies)
Round, golden cookies from Qassim with a short dough of white and whole wheat flour, ghee, oil and milk, filled with dates spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and dried lime, and stamped with a pattern before baking.
Makes: About 24 cookies, 7 cm across
Jump to ingredients & methodMethod
Read the full method before starting. Cooking times are guides; check texture and doneness as you cook.
Shows the steps one at a time, with a timer for each timed step.
Oven and tray, Sharp knife and board
Measure, cut, and arrange every ingredient in order of use. Read the full method and keep finishing ingredients separate.
- 01
Dough
33 minutesMix the flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, cardamom, baking powder and salt. Rub in the melted ghee and the oil until the mix looks like wet sand, add the milk and knead for 3 minutes into a soft dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Success cueA soft, smooth dough that does not crack when pressed.
- 02
Filling
5 minutesLow heatFor the filling, warm the pitted dates with the ghee on low heat for 3 minutes, then mash them with the cardamom, cinnamon, ground ginger and ground dried lime into a smooth paste.
Success cueA soft, spiced date paste.
- 03
Shaping
25 minutesHeat the oven to 180°C. Divide the dough and the filling into 24 balls each. Flatten a dough ball in your palm, set a filling ball in the middle, close the dough around it and press it into a 7 cm disc about 1 cm thick. Stamp the top with a kleija press or a fork.
Success cueEven discs with a clear pattern on top.
- 04
Baking
20 minutesOven heatBake on the middle shelf for 18 to 20 minutes until golden on the bottom and pale gold on top.
Success cueGolden bottoms and a pale gold top.
- 05
Cooling
15 minutesCool the kleija on a rack for 15 minutes; they firm up as they cool.
Success cueFirm discs that lift cleanly.
PlateMap is still in testing. Quantities and results may vary with ingredients and equipment. Please check food safety yourself, especially with meat and poultry.
Cooking tips
Dried lime in the date filling is the Qassimi touch: a faint sourness that keeps the sweet dates from tasting flat.
- • Keep the filling balls a little smaller than the dough balls so the dough closes without tearing.
- • Store in an airtight tin for up to a week.
Common mistakes
- • Overbaking until the tops brown, which makes the cookies hard.
- • Kneading the dough too long, so it turns tough instead of short.
Substitutions
- • Instead of dates: ready-made date paste (agwa), warmed with the ghee
- • Instead of whole wheat flour: more white flour, for a lighter, paler cookie
Serving ideasServe with Arabic coffee or tea.
Estimated nutrition per serving
Calculated estimate per serving from the listed quantities. Product choice and retained cooking fat affect the result; this is not a laboratory analysis.
- Calories
- ≈ 430
- Protein
- 6.1g
- Carbs
- 61.9g
- Fat
- 19.6g
Calculation source and assumptions
Values use USDA data and linked product labels, adjusted for edible quantities and base servings. Brands, ingredient varieties, and cooking methods can change the result.
Milk, Wheat / gluten
Compound ingredients vary by product; check labels and possible cross-contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is kleija from?
From Qassim in central Saudi Arabia, where Buraydah holds a yearly kleija festival and families bake it for guests, journeys and Eid.
Can the filling be date syrup?
Yes. Some families mix date syrup with sugar, ghee and the same spices into a thick paste; it is sweeter and runnier, so use a little less per cookie.
Why did my kleija crack?
The dough was too dry or not rested. Knead in a spoon of milk and let it rest the full 30 minutes before shaping.
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