Kleicha

Name: Kleicha
Yield: Makes about 25 pieces
Cuisine: Iraqi
Ingredients: ¾ cup (180 ml) oil (or half melted butter and half oil); 1 tablespoon sugar; ¼ teaspoon whole or crushed nigella seeds; ¼ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon cardamom; ¼ teaspoon cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground aniseed; 3 cups (12 oz/340 g) all-purpose/plain flour; ⅔ cup (160 ml) water or milk

Preparation info

Makes about
25 pieces

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Delights from the Garden of Eden

By Nawal Nasrallah

Published 2019

About

Traditional kleicha is usually made with dihin hurr (clarified butter). The following is a much lighter version, but yields equally delicious cookies/biscuits. The amount given below is usually doubled or tripled to make an assortment of shapes and fillings.

Ingredients

3 cups (12 oz/340 g) all-purpose/plain flour
1

Asia
Iraq
Vegetarian
Cookies

Method

In a big bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Pour in oil (or oil and melted butter), and rub the mixture between your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add water or milk, and stir the mixture in a circular movement to incorporate the liquid into the flour. Then knead for about 5 minutes to form a pliable dough of medium consistency.