Lebanese Maamoul Cookies
Whether you prefer them crumbly or soft, these Lebanese maamoul cookies are characterized by their rich flavor and the sweet taste of the date, pistachio, or walnut filling.
Servings: 20 cookies
Equipment
- Maamoul mold
Ingredients
Dough
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups + 3 tablespoons fine semolina
- 1 cup softened ghee or 2 sticks softened unsalted butter
- ¼ cup warm whole milk
- ¼ cup rose or blossom water
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon mahlab *optional
Filling
Date Filling
- 8 ounces Date paste
Pistachio Filling
- 1 cup pistachio ground
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons rose water
Walnut Filling
- 1 cup walnuts ground
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 4-5 tablespoons rose water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a large cookie sheet with greased parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients, mix them, and then add in the softened butter, milk, and rose water or blossom water.
- Using your hands, mix the dough together until it has totally formed into a big ball of grainy dough.
- You can begin using the dough immediately to fill in and shape your cookies.
- First, begin by forming a 2-inch ball of dough. With your index finger poke into the center of the round dough and gently form a deep hole enough to add the filling. Fill the center with a 1-inch ball of date paste or a spoonful of the ground pistachio or walnut mix. Gently fold in the dough and close it to form a ball again.
- Place the stuffed dough ball into the cookie mold and press down using the palm of your hand. Now, turn your mold and tap it firmly on to greased parchment paper until the cookie falls out.
- Repeat the steps to do the rest of your cookies with the desired filling.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes then broil on high for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
- Dust all cookies with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
- For added flavor, use Mahlab (you can find it at a local Middle Eastern market) or a substitute like mixing mastic with a teaspoon of sugar.
- If you don’t have the special wooden molds of maamoul, you can roll your dough into equal-sized balls with the palm of your hand and then press with tongs or a fork to make patterns of different shapes out of the filled dough.
- The more semolina is in ratio to flour in the Lebanese maamoul cookies, the smoother the dough and the more crumbly the result is.
- For a glossy look, you can brush the Lebanese maamoul cookies with egg whites or spray them with your oil of choice before baking.
- If you don’t mind the extra calories, ghee makes for a crumblier semolina cookie and an enhanced nutty flavor. Use it instead of the butter.
Nutrition
Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 36mg | Potassium: 255mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 306IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 3mg