Atayef (Middle Eastern Pastries)
Atayef are tasty Middle Eastern pastries made with a thin pancake batter. The pastries are filled with a ground nut mixture, then deep fried until golden and crisp and finally, drenched in syrup.
Servings: 21 servings
Calories: 196kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Syrup
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cups water
- 1½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1½ teaspoon rose water
Pancake Batter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup fine semolina
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoon yeast
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1½ cups room temperature milk
- 1 teaspoon rose water
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water
Filling
- 1¼ cups finely ground walnuts
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoon cardamom powder
Other
- 1 cup avocado oil (for frying)
- 2 tablespoon ground pistachios (garnish)
Instructions
Prepare Syrup
- Add sugar and water to a saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Cook for ten minutes, over medium heat, without stirring. Stir in lemon juice and rosewater during the last few minutes. The syrup will thicken as it cools.
Prepare Pancake Batter
- Whisk flour, semolina, sugar, yeast, baking powder, and salt to combine. Pour milk, rose water, and orange blossom water into the same bowl. Whisk to incorporate the ingredients until no lumps remain. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Prepare Nut Filling
- While the batter is resting, grind walnuts using a food processor until finely ground. Add sugar and cardamom and stir to combine.
Cook Pancakes
- Heat a seasoned non-stick skillet or griddle over low-medium heat. Pour 2 tablespoons of batter in the center to make a small pancake. If your pan is large enough, you can make a few at a time.
- The surface will develope tiny bubbles. Cook the pancakes for a few minutes, or until the surface is no longer wet. Do not flip the pancakes! Remove pancakes with a spatula and set aside on a cookie sheet (bubble side up). Cover with a dishcloth while you cook the next pancake.
Assemble Atayef
- While the next pancake is cooking, fill the previous pancake, bubble side up, with approximately 1 ½ teaspoons of nut filling. Fold the pancake over the filling then press the edges together to seal. Place on the same or a different tray and cover with the dish towel.
Fry Atayef
- Pour oil into a small skillet and heat to 300℉ to 315℉. Fry Atayef for 2 ½ to 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Immediately dip the hot Atayef in the cooled syrup then transfer to a colander to drain off excess syrup.
Serving Suggestions
- Sprinkle Atayef down the middle with ground pistachios. Drizzle with more syrup, if needed. This dessert is traditionally served with Turkish coffee or tea.
Video
Notes
- You can blend the ingredients in a blender, instead of whisking the batter by hand.
- The batter should have a thinner consistency than pancake batter. If the batter is too thick, add a little more milk or water, if it's too watery, add a spoonful of flour until you achieve the right consistency.
- Once they spread out, the pancakes should be approximately 3 ½" to 4" in circumference. The batter can thicken upon standing. If they don't spread easily, you may need to add more liquid to thin the batter!
- Covering the pancakes for 30 seconds to a minute causes them to soften, which makes them easier to fill and crimp/seal. If you skip this step, the cooked side will crack when you try to fill them.
- Do not overfill the Atayef. They'll be hard to seal and possibly tear.
- Atayef can be assembled ahead of time and fried just before serving.
- Atayef don't need to be deep fried. I add enough oil to cook one side of the pastry then flip them to fry the other side.
- Don't use the same tongs to remove the pastries from the hot oil and dunk them into the syrup. If you do, you'll transfer syrup into the hot oil, causing it to pop and leave burnt residue in the oil.
- Atayef are best served fresh, especially if you prefer them to be crunchy. By day two, they will begin to soften.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pastry | Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 36mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g
