Easy Traditional baqlawa

I always prefer easy but delicious desserts, it may sound lazy but for those who are pressed for time  and can't spend  hours and hours in the kitchen to  make fillo pastry or roll out several thin layers , this baklawa is one of the best choices to sweeten their family  lunch or dinner table and give their table some traditional look! 
Ingredients:
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
2 table spoons rose water / Gulaab
1 egg yolk , beaten
1 1/2 cups  flour......you may need more flour , your eyes and hands are the best measurement tools

1/2 tsp flour strengthening
pistachio silvers or powdered

Filling :

2 cups ground almonds
2 cups confectionary sugar or powdered sugar
2 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp or 3 drops of almond essence

syrup:
100 grm sugar
500 ml water
1/8 tsp  fresh lemon juice ( be careful to not use more than the given amount) ....
5 gr badka / liquide glucose or you can use honey

Direction
Dissolve the baking powder and salt into the milk

fold in 2 table spoons of oil or melted butter and egg yolk. beat them well,
add  rose water, add flour and flour strengthening  gradullay, kneed them to make a non sticky dough, you may need to add more flour if the dough is sticky,  

 put the dough in the bag and leave it to rest for 1-2 hours , meanwhile prepare the filling
mix all the filling ingredients ,
to make the syrup:
place the sugar water and lemon juice or citrik acid over a low heat. add the badka or other replacements,
since I didn't have badka or liquid glucose I added marshmallow and honey to the syrup to get the right consistency, add 2 tablespoons of  Rose water  to have a nice aromatic syrupwhen the sugar is dissolved . remove from the heat when it becomes slightly thick . set it aside to cool.


roll out the dough  as thin as you can, cut  out squares  place 1 spoonful of the almond mixture in the center of each square,

it seems that mine is really in square shape, " giggling at the  picture!",
wrap like flowers or bring the edges together and fold them like the picture below:

Bake in an oven or fry in agood deal of oil , frying is more traditional way so I chose frying them ,

then dip into the thick syrup!

remove them from the Sharbat /syrup and sparkle  with pistachio silvers or powdered pistachio

Nooshe Jaan!



Quttab

This cookie is irresisteable edible Almond-filled  cookie with golden and tender crust, Qottaab is a pastry filled with ground almond and sugare, this delight is originally from Yazd,


ingredients:


Dough
1/2 cup semi thick and sweet  yogurt
1/2 cup melted butter
2,1/2 cups flour
2 egg yolks 
a pinch of salt  or u can use 1/8 tea spoon  salt
1 tea spoon  baking powder
1/2 teaspoon  yeast (powdered)
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons lukewarm water
 Direction :
Dissolve the  yeast in luckwarm water, leave it for 5 mins in a warm place, whisk the egg yolks with a fork, mix the yolks with melted butter and yogurt, then add  the yeast mixture, flour, baking powder and salt to the mixture of yolks , yogurt and butter, fold them all together gradually, add more flour if it is stciky,  put teh dough ina zip lock bag, leave the dough for an hour in warm place,
 Ingredients for filling:

1 cup ground almonds
1 cup icing sugar
2 teaspoon  ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon almond extract or essense
Dusting:
1/3 cup icing sugar
1/2 teaspon ground cardamom

Roll out the dough onto a floured board. ( the thickness of the rolled dough should be 0.5 cm)

Cut out rounds using metal cookie cutter or round mold, ( 10 cm round cookie cutter)

place 2 table spoons of  the mixture  of ground almonds , icing sugar ( you can grind sugar cubes to make fine icing sugar) and ground cardamom  in the center of each round, press both sides of the dough over each other, Twist the round  carefuly to keep the filling inside , you can use piroshki press set or turnover press sets, or simply you can do it wih your hands,

Tips: brush the edge of  each round  with  water or milk, they would  work like glue
 if you dont have the press set, place the round or circle  in the palm of your hand, slightly folded, and put 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center , using your thumb and index fingers pinch and twist  the edge to seal and decorate the edge.

Arrange Quttabs nto a greased baking sheet lined wth  baking pape, bake them in a prheated oven  in  180 c o 350 degree fahrenheit,  on the middle shelf for half an hour until golden . remove fromthe oven , let them cool slightly , then dust them with  mixtue of icing sugar and ground cardamom.

In traditional way they fry quttabs instead of baking in the oven.
Noohe jaan!