Maamoul Date-Filled Cookies

By Feelgoodfoodie · 150 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. The night before, melt the 1 cup unsalted butter in a large bowl, then stir in the 3 cups fine semolina, 1 teaspoon mahlab and ½ teaspoon salt until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.
2. The next day, stir the ⅓ cup warm water with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon dry active yeast, and wait 5 minutes until foamy.
3. Pour the yeast mixture over the semolina mixture, add the 2 tablespoons orange blossom water, and stir until a smooth dough ball forms. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, combine the 1 cup chopped walnuts, ⅓ cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons orange blossom water to make the nut filling.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Pinch off 1 tablespoon of dough (about 24 grams) and repeat until you have 32 dough balls. Flatten each ball. Place 2 teaspoons of the 6 ounces date paste in 16 of them and 2 teaspoons of the nut filling in the other 16, then pinch the dough closed over the filling.
7. Press each stuffed ball firmly into the maamoul mold, then turn the mold over and tap the opposite side to release the cookie. Place the cookies on the prepared sheets about 1 inch apart.
8. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the bottoms are golden and the tops stay pale white. Sift powdered sugar over the hot cookies right away, then let them cool before serving.

Summarized from Feelgoodfoodie's video. Watch it for the details.