Syrian and Lebanon Date Crescents (Aqras Tamar)

Instructions

Combine 1 cup butter, eggs, milk, salt, and the vanilla in a bowl; set aside.

Sift together flour and baking powder; then gradually knead into butter-egg mixture until dough is formed, adding a little water if necessary. Form into spheres the size of golf balls; then allow to rest, covered with a cloth, for 1 hour.

In the meantime, make a filling by thoroughly mixing remaining ingredients, but not the confectioner's sugar.

Roll out balls to 3-4 inch rounds; then place 1 heaping teaspoon filling in the center of each round. Fold dough over to cover filling; then pinch edges together to seal, in the process forming then in crescent shapes.

Place on greased baking trays; then bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until crescents turn golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Place on a serving platter, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, and serve.

Author's Comments

In the Arab lands there is a common belief that the venerated palm in the oldest cultivated fruit tree in the world. In its native homeland, the Arabian Peninsula, the inhabitants have no doubt that it was first grown in paradise. According to Muslim belief, the archangel Gabriel told Adam in the garden of Eden: Thou art created from the same substance as this palm tree which henceforth shall nourish you."

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