Full Arabic Name: معمول جوز الهند بالقرفه
Region of Origin: Middle East
Many households in the middle east make this dessert, it isn't really tied with a specific country. The filling for the cookies may vary. Some families fill them with pistachios and rose water, others do honey and peanuts, and it can also be made with dates
Ingredients:
Dough:
3 cups plain flour
1 cup sugar
Pinch of baking powder
1 cup butter (softened)
¼ cup milk
Filling:
1 cup coconut shavings
2 tablespoons of cinnamon
Notes
Makes approximately 30 small cookies
If the coconut shavings are unsweetened then add sugar
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes (or until golden brown)
*Optional: dust with powdered sugar once cooled
A loud shout from my mom diverted my eyes from my phone and caused my heart to begin pounding. “Yes mom?” I replied as I got up from my bed and began heading downstairs. When I arrived downstairs I followed her voice into the kitchen, “Could you please help me make the filling for the cookies while I make the dough? I think it’ll be faster that way” she said as she began adding flour into a bowl. “Sure, no problem.” I started adding some of the coconut shavings into a bowl and mixing the cinnamon powder into it. The smell of the cinnamon, spicy and woody filled my nose. It was a comforting scent, one that brought me back to summer vacation. “Remember, the coconut is already sweetened, so no need to add more sugar” she reminded me as she began adding the powdered sugar and butter into the flour.
Although it was a simple task of adding two ingredients into a bowl, I was still trying my hardest to “get it right.” This was a family recipe that was passed down through generations. I started thinking about my grandma, who had passed away when I was a toddler. I never really got to meet her, but from what I’ve heard she was exactly like her daughter, my mom. I wished she was with us in the kitchen right now, maybe she would have been happy to see her daughter teaching me how to make the dessert, just as she had taught her when she was younger.
I had finished with the filling and was watching my mom as she finished adding the milk into the mixture and was kneading the dough with her hands. She then asked me to help her divide the dough into golf ball size pieces so that she could put them in the mold and create a crevice in order to put a spoonful of the filling inside. After about 15 minutes of the pastries being in the oven, the house would have a heavenly smell. The pastries coming out of the oven emanated a smell of cinnamon and coconut, which filled the air and mixed with the warm evening summer air that the windows blew in. The scent was warm and conforming and every time I smell it I’m brought back to summer time. From that day on I always loved making these cookies with my mom over summer vacation, they bring back memories and they always make me remember my grandma, who I knew would have loved making them with us.