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Ma'amoul Middle Eastern Date Filled Cookies

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  • Author: Wafa Shami

Description

Ma'amoul cookies feature a buttery crisp cookie primarily made of farina. The cookies can either be stuffed with sweet spiced dates, walnuts, or pistachios. These cookies are somewhat similar to shortbread.


Ingredients

Scale

Dough:

  • 3 cups farina
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon of mastic gum (grind)
  • 1/4 teaspoon of mahlab spice (grind)
  • 1 cup of melted butter or ghee
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast + 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 1/2 cup of warm water

Dates paste stuffing:

  • 4 ounces of dates paste
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil or melted butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
  • A pinch of nutmeg powder

Walnuts stuffing:

  • 3 ounces of walnuts chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
  • A pinch of nutmeg powder

Instructions

  1. Add mastic, mahlab powder and 1 tablespoon of sugar over farina mix well, then add melted cooled off butter.

  2. Mix all ingredients well with butter and keep overnight.

  3. Prepare the dough, set ½ a cup of warm water aside, take half of that water and mix with one teaspoon of instant yeast with 1 teaspoon of sugar, mix well and pour over farina and butter, start kneading, and gradually add the rest of the water while continuing to knead until you get a doughy mix that you can work with.

  4. Meanwhile, prepare dates for stuffing. Use dates paste, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ¼ spoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix well and roll into long logs and set aside.

  5. As for the walnuts chop finely, add sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, mix well and set aside.

  6. To start working with the dough, let’s start with ka’ek, which is the rounded shape and stuffed with dates. With your hands take a small piece of the dough and flatten it in a circle shape, then take a small piece of the dates, roll and round into a circle that is smaller than the dough circle so it fits in the middle, then cover the dough around the dates maintaining the round shape, rolling it around with both hands, then use your index finger to open the hole in the middle, then place on a baking sheet (no need to grease the baking sheet since the dough has enough butter). Continue with the same steps until all dates are done. Once ka’ek is done decorate with the clip.

  7. The other half of the dough is for maamoul, take a small piece of the dough and with your index finger make a hole in the dough and try to curve it more like a dome, with a small spoon take some of the walnuts stuffing and place inside the dough, cover the top and keep shaping it aiming for a dome shape. Continue until the rest of the dough is done. Decorate with the clip.

  8. Once all done, set the baking tray aside and let it rest for at least an hour before baking.

  9. Warm the stove on 450 degrees F, and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.

  10. You can place under the broiler for just 2-3 minutes aiming for a slight golden color if the top color is pale.

  11. Once cooled off store in an airtight container, they can last up to 10 days. Or in the freezer, they last up to 3 months.

  12. Sprinkle with powdered sugar upon serving.


Notes

This recipe makes 22 small pieces of ka’ek and 16 pieces of mamoul