Hello everybody!

As I mentioned before, filo pastry is amazing to create easy and delicious appetizers, but its also often used for desserts. I really wanted to play around with it and create a dessert with an oriental touch to it. So I’ve been thinking of all those delicious Arabic pastries filled with dates and with this amazing rose flavor as well as baklava with its rich and buttery filo pastry and the richness of the nuts.

It was only logical for me to create something that would have all of these elements. I brushed the layers of filo with butter which made it so crispy but also gave it a flavor similar to a croissant and filled it with a paste made from dates, rose water, nuts and cinnamon. The paste is naturally sweet from the dates and the pecans add more flavor and richness to it.

Of course my dessert could have just been these simple triangles, but I felt that it needed something more. Baklavas are always covered of syrup and that why I thought that it could be a good idea for those triangles as well. The syrup is very simple and I only added some rose water and cardamom, which I thought would be a could complementary flavor for my filo triangles.

I must say that I was very pleased with the result. First, I really loved the contrast of texture, a crispy outer layer and a soft filling. Second, how to resist to all of these flavors? The buttery filo taste like a flaky and crispy croissant, the date paste is sweet, nutty and gives so much satisfaction, and of course the rose water and cardamom syrup goes perfectly with the dates.

I really enjoyed this dessert! The other advantage I found from making this filo pastry dessert, is how easy it was to make. The paste is entirely made in the food processor, and the only effort it takes is to create the triangles and the syrup. This dessert can be made vegan is you replace the butter with vegan butter, and I think it’s a great treat that everyone can enjoy! So if you like these flavors and want a quick dessert recipe, here you are!

Let’s start baking!

Ingredients:

• Filo pastry
• Melted butter

Filling:

• 1+ 1/3 cup of pitted dates
• 1/2 cup of ground pecans
• 1 tbsp rose water
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp rose water
• 2 green cardamom pods

Preparation:

1- Soak the pitted dates in warm water for 30 min. Strain the dates and keep the soaking water aside.

2- Add the dates in the food processor and start pulsing. Then add the ground pecans, cinnamon and rose water. Continue blending. Add a little bit of soaking water. The mixture has to be smooth and homogeneous so if you have trouble mixing or if the mixture is still chunky, continue adding some soaking water to it.

3- Cut the filo pastry in 3 ribbons. Spread melted butter on the first ribbon, cover with another ribbon and repeat. I made 3 layers for these triangles.

4- After adding the 3rd ribbon, add a tablespoon of the date paste and fold into a triangle. Seal the edge with melted butter. Repeat until you have no more date paste left.

5- Preheat the oven at 355 F. Place the triangles on a baking sheet lined with parchemin paper and bake for about 20 min. The triangles should be nicely colored and crispy.

6- For the syrup, add sugar and water to a saucepan and cook until the sugar has completely melted into the water. Add the rose water. Crush the cardamom pods and add them into the saucepan. Keep cooking until the syrup is boiling. Let it cool down. Serve the triangles covered with some of the syrup and enjoy!

These little triangles have everything to please! A flaky and buttery filo pastry filled with a rich and sweet date paste and covered with a simple syrup flavored with rose and cardamom. This dessert definitely has an oriental feel to it and is a very simple treat to make!

I hope you will enjoy this recipe! Let me know in the comment section what you think about this recipe and if you liked it.

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