Maamoul or ma’amoul is a type of butter cookie popular throughout the Arab world, filled with dried fruits like figs or dates or nuts like pistachios, walnuts or almonds. They are generally made a few days before Eid and are often served with Arabic coffee and chocolate. They can be shaped into balls, be domed or flattened. These cookies can also be made in special wooden molds called tabe. So follow this detailed guide, one of the most delicious dessert recipes, to make these special, unique cookies and enjoy a delicious treat to share with loved ones.
Ingredients:
- 180 gm ghee or clarified butter
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons orange blossom water, or vanilla extract
- 150 gm semolina flour
- 150 gm all-purpose flour, plus more as needed to finish the dough and coat the molds, if using
- 2 teaspoons mahleb, optional; replace with flour if not using
- 3 tablespoons milk, any fat content level, at room temperature
- ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, for finishing
- 280 gm date paste, or 20 pureed pitted Medjool dates
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 177°C.
- Line two baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a bowl, add the ghee and beat well using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a handheld mixer. Keep beating till it is light and creamy. Then add the sugar and whisk until it is thoroughly combined. Then add the egg and blossom water and whisk well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and drop it back in the middle. Whisk until the mixture is thick, pale and creamy.
- Now add the semolina, all purpose flour and mahleb, if using. Use a spatula to combine everything together till you have a crumbly dough. Squeeze the dough. If it stays on your fingertips when you do, it is too wet. Add more flour, one spoon at a time. Stir and squeeze again. Or if it is too dry and is cracking, add milk, one spoon at a time. Keep squeezing the dough as you work, until the dough is smooth, soft and pliable.
- Then set the dough aside to rest for about 20 minutes. This gives the flour time to absorb the moisture. After resting, see how soft the dough is. Add more flour or milk if necessary.
- Now take some of the dough, about one spoon, and shape it into a ball by rolling it between your palms. Coat the inside of the mold with flour and tap off the excess. Then mold each ball to the shape, pressing into the middle to create a hollow space in the centre. Then shape a spoon of the date paste into a ball the same way and press it into the hollow space. Then use the displaced dough around the mold on top to cover the date ball. Then face the mold downward and tap strongly against the work surface to release the cookies. Place them on the prepared baking pans, one inch apart.
OR
If you don't have a mold, you can also shape the cookies by hand. Dust your work surface with flour, flatten the dough ball using a rolling pin dusted with flour, into an oblong shape. Place the date paste into a small log and place it in the middle of the dough. Cover in the flour by enclosing it in and sealing the edges. Shape the dough into a log, making sure there are no cracks. Use a fork to create a decorative pattern by pressing it on top of the dough. Then place them on the baking sheet, one inch apart.
- Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes. The exact time will depend on the machine you're using. You’ll know they are done when the cookies are a pale golden brown. Remove from the oven immediately if the tops start to crack.
- Let the cookies cool for an hour.
- Sift confectioners’ sugar on the cookies. Serve cool.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature, or freeze them for two months.
Notes, tips and tricks:
- The dough should be pliable so that it doesnt crack when it's being shaped. But if it's too soft it wont hold a shape and will be hard to remove from the mold.