During our baking marathon last Friday my mom and I also made some cookies, including these Egyptian Date Cookies. We make them every year at Christmas and Easter for my dad. As we shaped these Egyptian cookies, my mom told me stories about what Easter was like when she was growing up in Poland. There was so much cooking and baking to do, the whole family would work for days in advance. Everyone you saw was invited to Easter dinner, and often people you hadn’t seen would just show up, so they had to be prepared for a lot of guests. On Easter Sunday no work was done. Everyone would go to church and then families and friends would all get together to celebrate.
Things are a little different now, as it was just my immediate family at our celebration this year. We still had quite a feast though. First was breakfast made up of Polish sausage and ham, rye bread, hard boiled eggs, and babka. It’s a very Polish meal. Then after a quick visit to the Saint Joseph Oratory on Mount Royal (a beautiful basilica with very challenging steps leading up to it, every time I go I hear the Rocky theme music in my head), we got to work on dinner. Roast lamb, stuffed vines leaves, rice, potatoes, salad. Then came my favourite part, dessert; a light cake and these cookies.
One of the advantages of having my mom around while baking is that I was able to take “how to” pics. Here’s a visual on how to form the crescents:
Egyptian Date Crescents
Makes about 50 cookies
- 4 cups flour
- 1 lb butter at room temp, cut into pieces
- 1 tsp rose water
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 package pressed dates
- icing sugar for coating
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Using your hands, combine the butter and flour until it holds together when squeezed and there are no large pieces of butter.
- Add the rose water and milk. Stir until well combined. The dough should have a play dough like consistency.
- Take about a tablespoon of dough, form it into a ball. Press the center of the ball down, creating dent in the dough. Place a small amount of the pressed dates into the indentation. Close the dough up, then twist into a crescent. (See pictures above)
- Bake for 15 minutes, until the bottom of the cookies are just golden.
- Let cool completely, then cover in icing sugar.
What She's Having 
Thanks for sharing these crescent cookies, they look so good in your photos, love the blue teapot.
Great how to pic on forming the crescents and I just love the date filling inside,yum;-)
These look absolutely delicious..I bet the addition of rose water makes them extra special..great photos as usual
Is rose water necessary? I don’t have it in my pantry and doubt that I would have a use for it other than this recipe. If you can omit the rose water, would you need to add extra milk? Thanks! These look and sound so delicious!!
You can omit it, or replace it with vanilla.
These are so pretty! I’m glad you blogged about them because I totally don’t have a recipe for them. Yay!
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These little treats look so easy and perfect! Thanks for sharing a new recipe – I love seeing and learning about different traditions!
They are pretty and look delictable any time of the year. I’m a huge date fan so these look perfect!
So pretty, I was sure that making crescents is really difficult, but your photos make it appear so easy… I should give it a try some day. Thanks! Great step by step photos!
How pretty!! I love me some dates.
Wow, I had no idea they were so easy to make! I’m going to have to give this a try.
These look delicious and are so cute! :)
Great recipe and lovely lovely story!!
I want i want
I also want that blue teapot, too pretty…
This is fantastic. I have some dates I was wondering what to do with! These adorable little cookies are perfect.
They look really yummy! I have to try them, i’m sure they’ll be a success.
I happen to be Egyptian and loveee these date crescents. In Arabic, they’re called Kahk. :)
I’ve never tried making them personally but I’m planning on making them this year for Eid… Thanks for sharing :)
Hm, very very nice. two questions though: why Egyptian!? and why date cookies?
Love the idea, love crescents :-) Happy Holidays to you and your wonderful family :-)
Helen
I probably should have been more clear in the post. My father is egyptian, hence the egyptian cookies. As to why the dates, I’m not sure, these cookies are just a tradition at Christmas and Easter.
Super easy and good..I put a tbs of mahlab with flour and a tsp of rose water with the dates a personal preference.
Excellent recipe , this will be my go to recipe ……I make them every year for xmas and easter, love love them.
Very good recipe…made them and we just devoured them.
Easy very good recipe , I add mahlab to the dough
Excellent recipe