Date Cookies: Yotam Ottolenghi's Mother's Day Bakes

These take their inspiration from maamoul, a date and nut-stuffed butter cookie popular throughout the Middle East. Swap the pecans for any other nuts you have to hand and the fennel seeds for the same amount of anise or half the amount of cardamom. Once baked, the cookies will keep well in a sealed container for up to five days, so they’re perfect for making ahead.

subheading: For the cake batter:

200g caster sugar

140g softened unsalted butter, cut into rough cubes

2 lemons, zest finely grated to get 2 tsp, and juiced, to get 2 tbsp

3 eggs

200g self-raising flour

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp fine sea salt

subheading: For the lemon drizzle:

120g caster sugar

3 lemons, 6 to 8 strips of zest pared off with a peeler, plus 1 tsp finely grated zest, and juiced, to get 120ml

subheading: For the poppy seed brittle:

60g poppy seeds

50g caster sugar

50g liquid glucose

25g softened unsalted butter

⅛ tsp flaked sea salt

subheading: For the icing:

200g mascarpone

100ml double cream

30g icing sugar

Directions at theguardian.com

Never lose a recipe again, not even if the original website goes away! Use the Copy Me That button to create your own complete copy of any recipe that you find online. Learn more! It's free!

Page footer