Special for Tu BiShvat – Rolled Date Cookies with Soy Yogurt and Olive Oil Dough
As a (former) endurance athlete, I have a deep affection for dates (and for date cookies – but we’ll get to that later).
Especially for soft, juicy Medjool dates.
I ran the Paris Marathon all the way with a pair of dates I brought from the Carmel Market.
I remember after 35 km, when I "hit the wall" (for those who don't know, it's that mental and physical wall during a marathon where the body says "enough"), one juicy date made me lift my legs again and filled my soul.
I remember the sweet taste of the date vividly, and how its energy managed to slowly refill me. Like an empty balloon being inflated again.
I sucked on that date for the last 7 km of the race and spat the pit out at the finish line, which I crossed exhausted and happy.
Anyone who hasn't run a full marathon in their life doesn't know what an sublime feeling it is to cross that finish line after a fast 42.2 km run.
By the way, in my marathon finish photo, you can see me smiling with the date pit in my mouth. I look completely exhausted, totally dazed, and with a weird smile.
I chose not to share that photo with you; I assume you understand why.
I was reminded of the marathon while spreading the date and cinnamon mixture on the cookie dough, and as usual, I drifted off into thoughts and memories. I'm glad you're sailing along with me 🙂
And what about today?
Today I'm more interested in bodybuilding and less in endurance sports, but who knows, maybe I'll manage to sneak into the New York Marathon (I entered the lottery, cross your fingers for me).
A bit about the recipe
Enough about me, let's get down to business—the cookies.
In the original recipe, butter or margarine were used. I replaced them with olive oil, which works wonderfully in baking and you really can't taste it.
You can replace it with coconut oil, grapeseed oil, or any other oil you like.
I used white spelt flour in the recipe. You can combine it with another whole grain flour, but in my opinion, it won't work with gluten-free flours.
How to eat it?
One cookie can be an energy snack, a 4 PM treat, and it's wonderful served with boiling herbal tea.
Nutritional Values:
One cookie weighing 25g contains:
85 kcal
2g protein
11g carbohydrates
3g fat
Lentil patties with dried fruit sauce
Yogurt Dough Date Cookies
Ingredients
450g (3 cups) white spelt flour
200g natural a major dairy brand soy yogurt (1.5 containers)
Half a cup olive oil (80g)
Pinch of salt
6 tbsp date paste
1 tbsp cinnamon
Half teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180°C
In a large bowl, mix the flour, yogurt, salt, olive oil, and baking powder until a uniform dough is formed.
Divide the dough into 4 parts
Roll each quarter to a thickness of 2-3 cm
Mix the date paste with cinnamon
Spread one tablespoon of the date mixture on each quarter of the dough
Roll up and place on a baking sheet
Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden
Let cool completely
Slice into 2 cm wide pieces
Dust with powdered sugar on top.
