Kashiqi sweetmeats

Kashiqi cakes and sweetmeats are a new experience for Talla and her Oramian friends when they first visit Kashiq. Shira is a great expert in making them. Kashiqi sweetmeats are made of fruit and nuts and are very tasty! I have made a recipe for you to try. Feel free to substitute different nuts or dried fruit according to your tastes. 

Ingredients

About 8 soft dates, chopped
About 6 soft dried apricots, chopped
2 tbsps ground almonds
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp candied peel
2 tbsps chopped nuts of your choice (walnuts or pecans work well)
1 tbsp raisins/dried cranberries
1 tbsp chopped flaked coconut/fresh coconut
Finely chopped pistachio nuts/desiccated coconut to roll them  in at the end.

Shira would grind the ingredients together in mortar with a pestle, but I used a blender!!
Put all the ingredients except for the pistachio nuts/ coconut into the blender and blend until they are a thick paste. If it feels too stiff, add some honey or orange juice; if it feels too runny, add some more ground almonds. 

Roll the mixture into balls, using about a full teaspoon of mixture. Then  roll the balls into the chopped pistachios or coconut.  Put the finished sweetmeats into the fridge and keep in the fridge.