Ingredients <br /> <br />1 lb. (500 g) plain white flour (up to a quarter of the flour may be replaced with fine semolina) <br />2 tbsp. white sugar <br />½ lb. (250 g) unsalted butter (Normandy butter is best) <br />1-2 tbsp. rose water or orange flower water <br />2 tbsp. water or milk <br />icing sugar <br />pinch of salt (optional) <br />baking powder (optional) <br /> <br />Pistachio filling <br /> <br />Mix ½ lb. (250 g) finely chopped pistachios with a somewhat smaller weight of sugar and 1 tbsp. rose water. (Some people use ground almonds, with or without green food colouring, instead of pistachios.) <br /> <br />Walnut filling <br /> <br />Mix ½ lb. (250 g) finely chopped walnuts with a somewhat smaller weight of sugar and 1 tbsp. cinnamon. <br /> <br />Date filling <br /> <br />Chop 1 lb. (500 g) stoneless dates, and bring to the boil with half a teacup of water, squashing the mixture against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon until approximately uniform in consistency. Blend with an electric chopper if desired. One variant is to add some butter to the mixture as it cooks. Allow to cool.
