Kileche or Kleicha, are traditional Assyrian cookies that are baked for the holidays. They go perfectly with a hot cup of tea and come filled with dates, walnuts, or coconut.
About This Recipe
Although I call these "Assyrian Holiday cookies," the truth is they are not exclusively an Assyrian cookie. In fact, they are Iraq's national cookie; specifically, the date filled variety.
They are called "kileche" in Assyrian, while they are known as "kleicha" in Arabic. Assyrians usually make Kileche twice a year, for Christmas and Easter. But the fact that we don't make them very often only makes them more special and gives us another reason to look forward to the holidays!
How to Make This Recipe
Prepare the dough
- Mix yeast into warm milk and sprinkle with one tablespoon sugar, set aside.
2. Add 10 cups of flour to a large bowl. Mix in the remaining dry dough ingredients.
3. Add melted butter and mix in with your hands, until crumbly.
4. Work in milk, followed by the yogurt.
5. Add the beaten eggs and knead by hand, until the dough is soft and smooth (approximately 10 minutes).
6. Score with a Cross, cover, and allow to rest for one hour.
I once asked my mother why she and other Assyrians marked chada and kileche dough with a "cross." Mom explained that it was a way for the Assyrians to display their Christian faith when they were being persecuted and forced to convert to Islam during the Assyrian Genocide which took place in 1915 during WWI. The cross demonstrated that no matter what, their faith could not be taken from them.
Prepare the Filling
- While the dough is resting, prepare the fillings. Mix the ground walnuts with the sugar and cardamom and set aside. Do the same with the coconut filling ingredients.
Note: The rose water helps the dry coconut to bind together, making it easier to work with. It also adds that classic rose flavor.
2. For the date filling, heat vegetable oil in a small pan. Add the date paste and sprinkle with cardamom. Stir and mix, over medium heat, until the dates, oil, and cardamom are thoroughly mixed. Frying the dates really brings out their flavor!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
3. Divide the dough into 3 portions. I use one portion for each filing. Any extra dough can be rolled into braids, and wreaths, and baked as is.
How to Make Walnut Kileche
- Take a small portion of dough and roll it into a ball. Flatten using your thumbs and pointer fingers. Mold the dough into a bowl shape.
2. Fill the dough with the walnut filling. Fold the dough in half and press the edges together.
3. Make small folds all around the edges. Continue until all the filling is used up. Place the kileche on a cookie sheet as you make them.
4. When you have a full pan of kileche, pierce them with a fork. Beat the glaze ingredients together and brush generously over the kileche. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove kileche when nicely browned, then get back to work!
How to Make Coconut Kileche
- Using about a tablespoon of dough, flatten into a circle. Fill with coconut and pinch the dough together into a ball.
2. With the pinched portion facing up, press into the maamoul mold.
3. Tap mold onto your work surface to dislodge the kileche. If you don't have a mold, shape by hand into a circle.
4. Continue until you have used up the coconut filling, glazing and baking as you go.
Date Kleicha
- Place half of the date paste on a long section of the wax paper. Cover with another sheet of wax paper and roll out, using a rolling pin, into an approximately 9" x 14" layer.
3. Divide the dough reserved for the date kleicha into two portions. Roll one piece into the same size as the date layer.
4. Line up the date layer over the dough and peel back on one section of wax paper. Turn the exposed dates towards the dough and press to adhere the dates to the dough. Peel back the remaining sheet of wax paper.
5. If some of the date paste sticks to the waxed paper, scrape off using a spatula, and fill in the dates where needed on the dough.
6. Roll the dough into a long tube. Flatten either by pressing down gently with your hands, or use a rolling pin. Make sure the sealed side is facing down. Cut into 1" sections with a crinkle cutter. Or cut with a sharp knife.
7. Pierce, glaze, and bake the kileche. Follow the same steps using the remaining date paste, and the other half of the dough.
Expert Tips
- Walnut and coconut Kileche are shaped differently to identify what filling is hidden inside.
- If there is extra dough remaining, it's usually rolled into braids or wreaths.
- A Maamoul Mold is used to make another Middle Eastern cookie, known as "maamoul." This awesome mold can also be used to form the coconut kileche.
- Another fun tool, a Crinkle Cutter or a pastry wheel can be used to add a decorative edge to the date Kleicha.
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Assyrian Holiday Cookies (Kileche/Kleicha)
Ingredients
Kileche Dough
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 T. yeast
- ⅓ cup sugar, plus 1 Tablespoon
- 10 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-½ tsp. salt
- 1 T. cardamom
- 1-½ tsp. nigella sativa seeds
- 2 cups unsalted butter melted
- ⅓ cup plain yogurt room temperature
- 3 medium eggs beaten
Walnut Filling
- 1-½ cup ground walnuts
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. cardamom
Coconut Filling
- 1-½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- 1 T. rose water (optional)
Date Filling
- 16 oz. date paste (packaged, or make your own)
- 1 T. vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. cardamom
Glaze
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2 T. milk
Instructions
Dough
- Mix yeast into warm milk and sprinkle with one tablespoon sugar, set aside.
- Add 10 cups of flour to a large bowl. Mix in the remaining dry dough ingredients.
- Add melted butter and mix in with your hands, until crumbly.
- Work in milk, followed by the yogurt.
- Add the beaten eggs and knead by hand, until the dough is soft and smooth (approximately 10 minutes).
- Score with a Cross, cover, and allow to rest for one hour.
Fillings
- While the dough is resting, prepare the fillings. Mix the ground walnuts with the sugar and cardamom and set aside. Do the same with the coconut filling ingredients. Note: The rose water helps the dry coconut to bind together, making it easier to work with. It also adds that classic rose flavor.
- For the date filling, heat vegetable oil in a small pan. Add the date paste and sprinkle with cardamom. Stir and mix, over medium heat, until the dates, oil, and cardamom are thoroughly mixed. Frying the dates really brings out their flavor!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Divide the dough into 3 portions. I use one portion for each filing. Any extra dough can be rolled into braids, and wreaths, and baked as is.
Walnut Kileche Assembly
- Take a small portion of dough and roll it into a ball. Flatten using your thumbs and pointer fingers. Mold the dough into a bowl shape.
- Fill the dough with the walnut filling. Fold the dough in half and press the edges together.
- Make small folds all around the edges. Continue until all the filling is used up. Place the kileche on a cookie sheet as you make them.
- When you have a full pan of kileche, pierce them with a fork. Beat the glaze ingredients together and brush generously over the kileche. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove kileche when nicely browned, then get back to work!
Coconut Kileche
- Using about a tablespoon of dough, flatten into a circle. Fill with coconut and pinch the dough together into a ball.
- With the pinched portion facing up, press into the maamoul mold.
- Tap mold onto your work surface to dislodge the kileche. If you don't have a mold, shape by hand into a circle.
- Continue until you have used up the coconut filling, glazing and baking as you go.
Date Kileche
- Place half of the date paste on a long section of the wax paper. Cover with another sheet of wax paper and roll out, using a rolling pin, into an approximately 9" x 14" layer.
- Line up the date layer over the dough and peel back on one section of wax paper. Turn the exposed dates towards the dough and press to adhere the dates to the dough. Peel back the remaining sheet of wax paper.
- If some of the date paste sticks to the waxed paper, scrape off using a spatula, and fill in the dates where needed on the dough.
- Roll the dough into a long tube. Flatten either by pressing down gently with your hands, or use a rolling pin. Make sure the sealed side is facing down. Cut into 1" sections with a crinkle cutter. Or cut with a sharp knife.
- Pierce, glaze, and bake the kileche. Follow the same steps using the remaining date paste, and the other half of the dough.
Notes
- Walnut and coconut Kileche are shaped differently to identify what filling is hidden inside.
- If there is extra dough remaining, it's usually rolled into braids or wreaths.
- A Maamoul Mold is used to make another Middle Eastern cookie, known as "maamoul." This awesome mold can also be used to form the coconut kileche.
- Another fun tool, a Crinkle Cutter or a pastry wheel can be used to add a decorative edge to the date kileche.
Alison M says
I have a Syrian neighbour on one side of me and an Iraqi on the other... I get double batches of these cookies at Christmas and Easter! Both ladies use the traditional fillings, but with slightly different shaping - the Syrian lady uses the wooden mold for the coconut variety while my Iraqi neighbour makes crescents with both the coconut and walnut fillings, so it's a bit of a surprise when you bite in. I'm British so make traditional gingerbread or easter (currant) biscuits for them. We all do very well out of the exchange, culinary and culturally!
Hilda Sterner says
I love that! Can I be your neighbor? I'm on a 65-acre parcel in a very rural community so no neighbors to exchange food with. I miss that!
Nora says
Hi Hilda,
First and foremost; thank you for the easy to follow recipe! I’m so happy that everyone loved the keleche this Christmas that I actually had to make it twice as I ran out just before Christmas 🙂
May I however ask; the sugar added to the fillings such as the walnuts tastes amazing obviously but the crunch of the sugar is not preferred by all. Is it possible to use icing sugar instead? If yes; would it be the same amount of sugar or less?
I look forward to hearing from you and giving the recipe another go for Easter!
Many thanks again! Happy new year!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Nora,
Thank you so much for the review. I'm glad they were enjoyed. Regarding your questions, I've never seen powdered sugar used in Kileche. However, you can try grinding the sugar first or using finer sugar like castor sugar. That should keep everyone happy! 😊 MERRY CHRISMAS!
Marie Anne says
I'm so excited to find your page and try these out! I never got to learn the recipe from my nana so I'm happy to have found this.
HildaSterner says
Hi Marie and welcome! That was the whole reason I published my Assyrian cookbook and started this blog. I mean let's be honest, who's nana passed down written recipes? 🤗
Nahrainn says
Hi Hilda,
If I want 5 cups of flour as I’m the only one eating koleche in house hold. What the recipe for this please
Thanks 😊
HildaSterner says
Hi Nahrainn, Thanks for the question. Since the recipe calls for 10 cups and you want to use 5, just divide all the remaining ingredients by 2. It's going to take a few minutes. The Recipe card has a slider that you can adjust the servings, but it doesn't work great.
Rita says
Amazing recipe!! Even Mslawis complemented me on this, so I know it was good!
HildaSterner says
Hi Rita,
Thanks for coming back and rating the recipe. Glad you had success with the recipe! 🙂
Arlette says
Marhaba Hilda... Nice to meet you and see your Assyrian cooking blog..
I thought Kleesha are the Easter Cookies our grandmas make . I have a recipe from a great cook, have tried it several times, but i am not getting the same texture or flavor as she used to make them back home. In Jazirah - Syria they use "Shabbeh" in their Kleesha, don't know the name in English or how it looks like. This is the link to my Kleesha
http://phoeniciangourmet.blogspot.ca/2009/04/lebanese-easter-cookies.html#links
HildaSterner says
Hi Arlette,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! What texture are you trying to achieve? Dry and crumbly, or softer? The ones I used to make had baking powder, and were more crumbly. I preferred them that way. Then someone complained they were too dry, so I shared this recipe, using yeast. I'm curious which you prefer? I'm going to check out your link now 🙂
Cynthia Robbins says
Hi Hilda, I have had your book for a few years now, and I love it! My Assyrian mama is coming to town this Christmas and I am going to FREAK HER OUT by making kileche for the first time. My question is, "Beni's recipe" in your book does not call for yeast...is it necessary? I would ask my mom, but again - it's a surprise. Thank you!
HildaSterner says
Hi Cynthia,
I'm so happy to hear that you have my book and that you love it, thank you! I'm excited for you and for the fact that you will be surprising your mom. The recipe in my cookbook uses baking powder, and this one uses yeast. I had another lady who purchased my book tell me that she preferred softer kileche dough, so I decided to experiment using yeast instead of baking powder. I personally like both recipes, but some prefer one over the other. Maybe you can try one recipe this year and the other next time, and see which one you prefer? Good luck, I'd love to hear about how it goes. You can post pictures of your kileche on my Assyrian Cookbook facebook page, if you'd like. Good luck and Merry Christmas!
Cyn Robbins says
Thank you! I have the mixer going as we speak! I will keep you posted 🙂 god bless and eidakh brikhtah!
HildaSterner says
Update?
Amira's Pantry says
I think it is so similar to what we call in Egypt Ara'eesh. We make them year round and they are pretty much sold in every bakery, small of big. They are indeed yummy cookies and I like them for breakfast with a cup of black tea :). We do not have the walnut or coconut varieties we make them filled with dates or turkish delights and of course plain as well. I am like you, I like stuffed ones more :). Your recipe looks so delicious Hilda.
HildaSterner says
Hi Amira, I'm not surprised you have them in Egypt too. I'm surprised the name sounds so different. Usually it seems the food names are similar in the Middle East, no matter what country. My family members also buy them from the Middle Eastern markets year round (in Chicago). I guess making them is a different story, since it's so time consuming. I like the idea of making them only a few times a year. Gives me something to look forward to in the holidays. I've never heard of the ones filled with Turkish delights, I'm definitely looking into that further! I enjoyed your comment, don't be a stranger!