حلاوة الجبن
This Syrian delicacy is one of my all-time favourite desserts. Little parcels of semolina and cheese dough stuffed with qashta and drizzled with rose-scented sugar syrup – heavenly!



Halawet el Jibn - Sweet Cheese Rolls
Little rolls of semolina and cheese dough stuffed with ashta and drizzled with rose-scented sugar syrup.
Ingredients
Simple Syrup (Attar)
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tsp rose water
Ashta (Clotted Cream)
- 1 L whole milk
- 500 ml whole milk
- ½ cup whipping cream
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoon semolina fine
- ½ teaspoon rose water
- ½ tsp orange blossom water
Cheese Dough
- 1 cup semolina fine
- 1½ cups water
- ½ cup sugar
- 400 g halloum mozarella or akawi cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup orange blossom water
Instructions
- To make attar, bring sugar and water to a boil & simmer for 10 minutes. Add rose water & lemon juice and simmer for 1 minute. Set aside.
Ashta (Clotted Cream)
- To make ashta, bring 1L milk to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally so the milk doesn’t burn.
- Turn off the heat and add vinegar. Continue stirring to encourage clotting. The curds will instantly begin to separate from the whey.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the curds and place into a bowl. Toss the whey.
- In a small bowl, dissolve corn starch and flour in the remaining milk and cream. In the same pot, bring milk, cornstarch mixture and semolina to a simmer.
- Turn off the heat and add flavoured waters. Stir well.
- Fold curds into cream base. Set aside.
Cheese Dough
- In a saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil.
- Lower heat, add semolina bit by bit while whisking. Stir for 3-4 minutes.
- Turn heat to low. Add sugar and stir.
- Add cheese and keep stirring using a wooden spoon. After around 10 minutes, cheese dough should be stretchy and stringy. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Place a plastic sheet on the counter and spread with a bit of orange blossom water.
- Using half the dough, place on plastic sheet and flatten slightly. Add another plastic sheet on top and begin rolling the dough between the two sheets of plastic using a rolling pin.
- Spoon a line of ashta in a straight line. Gently roll the dough over the ashta to form a log and slice the log from the rest of the dough. Cut each log into 4-5cm long rolls.
- Serve with sugar syrup.
Nutrition
Sodium: 222mgCalcium: 234mgVitamin C: 1mgVitamin A: 167IUSugar: 15gFiber: 1gPotassium: 98mgCholesterol: 13mgCalories: 184kcalMonounsaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 5gFat: 8gProtein: 7gCarbohydrates: 22gIron: 1mg
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