Cookie with an unusual filling

If I had to describe a keleeja cookie, I would say it’s a cross between a cookie and a mince pie. It is the national cookie of Saudi Arabia, and encases a warm spiced filling with a tangy kick of black lemon (loomi) and deep dark date molasses.

Keleeja is not just a cookie, it is a whole Bedouin tradition in itself, native to Saudi Arabia. After her nuptials, the bride takes a tray full of these cookies with her when departing from her parents’ house and stepping into her husband’s