Sugary Sweet Treats at the End of the Week

Persian Ghotab, Almond-Filled Cakes

I always love to try new foods, and these cakes/pastries/cookies were certainly fun to make. My old college roommate is Persian, and she loves to make Ghotab with her mom for parties and family get-togethers. It's wonderful how food can remind you of so many traditions and memories. Although, she admitted to me that this recipe from the internet, is better than her mom's.

I plan to reproduce this recipe in my own kitchen some day. But until then, I have no way of knowing exactly how much of any ingredient we added (The dough was too moist so we added more flour then the recipe called for). This makes it pretty much impossible for me to do a nutritional analysis. So, for the time being, I can live in ignorance, and actually enjoy this indulgent, fried dessert!

Ingredients: 

2 egg yolks
½ cup butter
½ cup yogurt
1½ cups flour
2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

Filling:
½ cup ground almonds
¼ cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Procedure: 
Beat the egg yolks, butter, and yogurt until creamy. Stir in the flour gradually, and knead well with the hands. If the dough is sticky, add more flour. Place the dough in a plastic bag and keep it at room temperature for 2 or 3 hours.

For the filling, mix together the almonds, confectioners sugar, and ground cardamom.

Roll out the dough on a floured board to a thickness of ¼ inch. Cut it into circles with a floured cookie cutter. Place a small amount of filling in the middle of each cookie. Fold the edges up, pinch together, and crimp the dough together all along the open side. Heat the cooking oil in a deep saucepan to 375 F. Drop the cookies in and deep-fry until golden brown (3 to 5 minutes). Drain them on paper towels. While still warm, roll them in confectioners sugar. When they are cool, roll them again in confectioners sugar.

Allergens: Egg, milk, nuts, wheat, gluten