Baked Qatayef!!!

Qatayef is a middle eastern dessert. These are yeasted pancakes stuffed with nuts or cheese filling then doused in a thick sugar syrup. They can be soft or crunchy, open or closed, sweet or savory a snack with lots and lots of options. The center can be filled not only with cheese or nuts but also with nutella. This qatayefs are ridiculously crunchy,  bursting with sticky, syrupy sweetness with every bite.

 I tasted these delicacies from a friend who is from Palestine. During Ramadan, she gave some of these uncooked qatayefs for iftar along with a bowl of sugar syrup and told me the method of either deep frying or baking then to dip them in sugar syrup and enjoy for iftar. I baked some and some I deep fried for the kids. They were so crispy and crunchy. We liked it a lot. My kids were finishing them quickly, It was so delicious. My friend told me that this is made during Ramadan times and this is one of the delicious desserts which will be loved by all and so it is.. Please try this out and let me know.

Ingredients:
For the Sugar Syrup:

1. Sugar- 1 cups
2. water 1 cup
3. Lemon juice- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. In a medium pan combine together the sugar, water and squeeze of lemon juice. Set it on high heat.
2. Bring to a rolling boil and reduce the flame to medium. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. The syrup will thicken slightly.
3. Switch off the flame and keep this aside to cool.

For the Pancakes:

1. All Purpose Flour- 2 Cups
2. Sugar- 1 tbsp
3. Milk- 2 tbsp
4. Baking soda- 1tsp
5. Yeast- 1 tbsp
6. Water- 3 Cups

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the pancake using a hand mixer till everything gets mixed well and forms a loose, pourable batter.
2. Leave the batter for 10- 20 minutes to bubble up.
3. Heat a non stick griddle, using a small ladle or an ice cream scoop drop about 2 tbsp of the batter over the skillet. the pancake should be about 3 inches in diameter.
4. Allow to cook the pancakes slowly without flipping (you can see many bubbles forming) and when they are cooked keep it aside and continue with the remaining batter till all the batter gets over and keep the pancakes separate without sticking to each other and cover them with a damp towel while making the rest of the pancakes. Let them cool completely before filling.

For the Filling:

1. Ricotta Cheese- 1 Cup
2. Granulated Sugar- 2 tbsp
3. Coarse ground Pistachios- 1/2 Cup

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and keep it aside.

For assembling:

1. Take the pancakes with the bubbly side up fill with the cheese and nut filling and close the pancake into half without tearing. Squeeze and pinch the outer edge tightly using your fingers to seal.
2. You can either freeze them for about a month for later use or heat a skillet with oil and deep fry them to golden brown and crisp.
3. Here I have deep fried half of them in oil and the other half I baked till done.
4. Dip these hot fried/ baked qatayef into the prepared sugar syrup and enjoy a crispy crunchy snack.