Makrouta

In a large bowl, combine the flour, powdered sugar, milk powder, mahlab, ground anise, anise seeds, and semi-melted Crisco butter.
Slowly add the water until the dough is easy to work with.
Keep the dough covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

In a separate bowl, mix together the date paste, ghee or butter, cinnamon, and anise seeds.
Set aside.

In a shallow dish, combine the sesame seeds with the simple syrup or melted honey.
Set aside.
Shape the Cookies
Cover a clean work surface with plastic wrap to prevent sticking.
Lightly flour the rolling pin.
Roll the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick.
Roll some of the date filling into a log, making sure it is not too thin or too thick.
Place the date log near the edge of the dough closest to you.
Roll the dough tightly around the date filling to form a log.
Use a pizza cutter to trim any excess dough.
Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Cut each log diagonally with a pizza cutter to form individual cookies.
Dip the top of each cookie into the sesame topping.
Arrange the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.