Almond Date Roll With Tahini Halva Dip

Posted 2017-08-05 by Naomi ⇒ follow

Authentic, tasty Middle Eastern delicacies with a moorish date filling in an almond based roll. Eat these beauties as is or dip into the halva sauce.

The date filling is full of flavour and lightly spiced. The almond dough is sweetened with honey. They are refined sugar, gluten and lactose free.
[Image1 Middle Eastern almond date rolls with the tahini halva dip]
Preparation Time: 30 minutes (plus 45 minutes to rest dough)
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 12-14 rolls

Ingredients
For the almond roll
1 cup almond meal
1 1/4 cup rice flour (I used 3/4 cup white and 1/2 cup brown rice flour)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp honey
1 - 2 tbsp almond milk, if required (or other lactose free milk)

For the date layer
1 cup pitted dated
6 - 8 tbsp cup boiling water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cacao or cocoa

For the tahini halva dip
4 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

3 - 4 almonds, crushed, for sprinkling (optional)

Method

Whisk the almond meal, rice flour, cinnamon, cardamom and salt to combine.

Add the coconut oil, honey, 1 tbsp milk and stir until the dough binds and comes together in a ball. Add extra milk if required.

[Image2 I added 2 tbsp of milk to the dough as 1 tbsp was too crumby]

Wrap the dough in cling wrap and put in the fridge for 45 minutes to rest.

Put the date layer ingredients into a bowl, add 6 tbsp boiling water, stir and stand for 10 minutes for the dates to soften.

Use a fork to mash the dates and stir to combine. Microwave in 20 second increments if the mixture is not soft enough to mash. Add 1 - 2 tbsp of boiling water if the mixture is too thick.

[Image3 The date filling should be paste like and thin enough to spread]

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line 1 baking tray with baking paper.

Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper into a large 35 cm x 25 cm rectangle of even 5 mm thickness.

Spread the date filling on the dough.

Roll the dough into a cylinder starting from the top of the longer (35 cm) end.

Cut the scrolls into 2.5 cm slices.

[Image8 Spread the filling, roll and then cut into slices]

Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until slightly golden. Cool on wire racks.

[Image7 Hot out of the oven]

While the scrolls are baking, combine the tahini halva dip.

Serve.