**Maamoul: A Taste of Middle Eastern Delicacy**
Maamoul, also known as ma'amoul, are traditional Middle Eastern cookies that hold a special place in the region's culinary heritage. Often prepared during festive occasions like Eid, these delightful treats are characterized by their intricately designed exteriors and delectable nut filling. The cookies have a rich history, believed to have originated in Persia and spread throughout the Middle East.
This article presents a collection of carefully curated Maamoul recipes, each offering a unique twist on this classic delicacy. From the traditional Date-Filled Maamoul to the more contemporary Pistachio-Rose version, these recipes cater to diverse palates and preferences. With step-by-step instructions and detailed ingredient lists, aspiring bakers can effortlessly recreate these mouthwatering treats in their own kitchens.
The recipes included encompass a variety of fillings, including walnuts, pistachios, dates, and even a combination of nuts for a symphony of flavors. Additionally, some recipes provide options for using store-bought dough, making the process even more accessible for busy individuals.
Whether you're a seasoned baker or just starting, this comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge and skills to create these exquisite Maamoul cookies. Impress your family and friends with these delightful treats, and immerse yourself in the vibrant culinary traditions of the Middle East.
MAAMOUL (DATE FILLED COOKIES)
Maamoul are buttery date filled middle eastern cookies that will melt in your mouth and are utterly scrumptious. Naturally sweetened with dates these have minimal added sugar. They are popular at Eid, Christmas and other holidays.
Provided by Roxana Begum
Categories Dessert
Time 1h
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 cookie, Calories 104 kcal, Carbohydrate 15 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 4 g, SaturatedFat 2 g, Cholesterol 7 mg, Sodium 1 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 7 g
QUICK AND EASY MAAMOUL RECIPE
This quick & easy Maamoul recipe results in light and sweet cookies traditionally made in Arabic countries around Easter and Eid.
Provided by Gemma Stafford
Categories Dessert
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the dates, water, and salt. Cook the dates, mashing and stirring until they have broken down into a paste (about 3 minutes). Let cool.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl or in a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder, then pulse or cut the butter in.
- Combine the milk and rosewater and then stir into the dough until it comes together.
- Gather the dough together, and then divide the dough into 20 equally-sized balls.
- Take one ball of dough, flatten it in the palm of your hand and pinch it into a bowl shape.
- Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of the dough and bring up the sides and pinch together to seal the filling in.
- Roll and flatten slightly, and then place the cookie seam side down on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
- Prick the top of the cookies with a fork or toothpick in a decorative pattern, and then bake until the cookies are just beginning to turn golden, about 25-30 minutes. Dust generously with powdered sugar while the cookies are still warm.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
MAAMOUL: STUFFED DATE-ORANGE COOKIES
These buttery date-filled cookies with hints of orange zest are a beloved part of holiday traditions throughout the Middle East. We left out the semolina flour typically used and whipped up three mouthwatering fillings made from dried fruits and nuts.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories dessert
Time 2h15m
Yield 20 cookies
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Dough: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- To make the filling: Puree the filling ingredients in a food processor until evenly combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and set aside. Clean the processor bowl.
- Put the flour, baking powder, the 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, and salt in the bowl of food processor and pulse 3 to 4 times to mix. Add the butter, oil, and milk pulsing until the dough just comes together. Take care not to overwork the dough; it will be slightly wet.
- Remove dough from the processor, and roll into 20 equally sized balls. In the palm of your hand, press and pat each ball of dough into a 2 3/4-inch round. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of each round and draw the edges up and around the filling. Pinch the dough together to make a sealed ball, and then carefully roll the cookie between your palms to make a smooth round ball. Press gently to flatten the cookie slightly, then place them seamed side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Gently prick the cookies with a fork or a wooden skewer in a decorative pattern taking care not to pierce the dough to the filling.
- Bake the cookies until firm and slightly puffed, and the tops are pale but the bottoms are just beginning to turn slightly golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. Dust generously with confectioners' sugar, cool and dust again.
- Apricot Golden Raisin Nut Filling:
- Puree in a food processor until evenly combined.
- Quince-Walnut Filling:
- Puree in a food processor until evenly combined.
MA'AMOUL
These dried fruit-filled semolina cookies are a staple for both Eid and Easter in the Levantine region. The filling can vary from dates to figs, and nuts like pistachios, walnuts or almonds are also used. The buttery crust contains semolina, which makes it delightfully crumbly in your mouth. Traditional ma'amoul recipes call for resting the semolina and ghee dough for one to two days in the refrigerator before mixing in a small amount of yeast. This recipe skips the chilling and uses baking powder instead, so the cookies are ready to enjoy within about an hour. You can buy special ma'amoul molds to print the patterns on the cookies (mooncake molds also work well). Or you can simply flatten the dough into disks and press in a pattern on top using a fork. It's easiest to make the filling with store-bought date paste (labeled baking dates at local Middle Eastern and Mediterranean shops and online), but you can make your own with Medjool dates if you prefer.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories dessert
Time 45m
Yield about 45 small cookies
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- For the dough: Put the semolina, flour, granulated sugar and baking powder in a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. (It's important not to use your hands to make the dough because the natural heat of your hands will make the dough release oil, resulting in dry dough.) Mix in the ghee. The mixture will feel and look like crumbs. Add the milk slowly (2 tablespoons at a time) and mix to combine until you have a soft dough that you can make into small balls. It's best to add the milk slowly so the dough doesn't come together before all the milk is added.
- For the date filling: Put the baking dates, ghee, cinnamon and cardamom in a medium bowl and mix with a spoon until the ghee and spices are combined well with the dates. Rub some ghee or vegetable oil on your palms to avoid sticking and shape the date filling into 40 to 45 small balls for a small ma'amoul mold. If using a larger mold, shape the balls accordingly.
- Preheat the oven 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll the semolina dough into 40 to 45 balls as well.
- Flatten a semolina dough ball and place a date ball in the middle of it. Bring the dough together to cover the date ball and roll in your hands to smooth the cracks. Place the ball in the ma'amoul mold and gently press it so the pattern prints on it. Bang the mold against a cutting board to release the cookie and place it smooth-side down on the prepared baking sheet. If you don't own a mold, simply flatten the stuffed dough ball into a 1/2-inch-thick disk and make a simple pattern by pressing a fork gently on the dough to make a crisscross. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. You can place the cookies quite close to each other since they won't spread.
- Bake until the cookies are slightly golden brown around the edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Let them cool completely, then dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.
MAAMOUL (PISTACHIO, WALNUT AND DATE PASTRIES)
Maamoul are delicate pastries-filled with pistachios, walnuts, or dates-that are served on special occasions like Eid Al-Fitr and Easter.
Provided by Suzanne Husseini
Yield Makes about 100 pastries
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Prepare each filling by mixing the ingredients in a bowl. For the date filling, knead the dates with the nutmeg and butter until soft. (You can warm the dates in the oven to make them easier to knead.) Break off a piece and roll into a log about 4 inches long. Bring the ends together to form a 1½-inch-diameter ring. Proceed until all are done and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the semolina, mahlab, and sugar and mix well. Pour in the melted butter and mix in with your fingertips, coating completely. Sprinkle on the yeast and sugar to incorporate. Gradually pour in the slightly warmed milk and mix until the mixture forms a dough. It should be soft and pliable, and not sticky. You may not end up using all of the milk.
- For the nut-filled maamoul, take a piece of dough of about the size of a walnut and cup it in one hand. With your thumb poke the center of the dough to make a well. Using your thumb on the inside and your index finger on the outside, work the dough upwards to thin it out gradually into a shell. Place a teaspoonful of the nut filling in the well. Bring the edges together to cover the filling completely. Smooth out and turn over the filled pastry. With a pincher proceed to decorate the shell. Make your pistachio-filled ones oval and your walnut-filled ones round. Place on a baking sheet.
- For the date-filled maamoul, take a walnut-sized piece of dough and flatten in the palm of your hand. Place a prepared date ring in the center and fold the edges over to enclose completely toward the center. Follow the shape of the date ring and pinch the center to make a hole in the middle. It will look like a filled donut. Turn the seam side down. Grab hold of the pastry in one hand and proceed to use the pincher to decorate. Place on a baking sheet.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. The maamoul should only be slightly colored. Remove and cool completely before dusting with icing sugar. Store cooled pastries in an airtight container without the icing sugar.
MAMOOL WALNUT COOKIES
Provided by Rawia Bishara
Categories Cookies Dessert Bake Walnut Vegetarian Pescatarian Peanut Free Soy Free Kosher Diabetes-Friendly
Yield Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Make the filling: In a large bowl, combine the nuts with the butter, rose water, orange blossom water, sugar, cinnamon and cloves; stir to thoroughly coat the nuts. Set aside.
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine the semolina, farina and flour. Sprinkle the mastic and mahlab over the dry ingredients. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the yeast and sugar to the well. Add 3 tablespoons warm water to the yeast mixture and let sit until it begins to foam, about 1 minute. Pour in the milk and, with a fork, gradually mix the wet and dry ingredients together until a dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead until it is pillow soft and workable. If the dough becomes too stiff to work with, gradually sprinkle in water to bring it to a workable consistency. Return the dough to the bowl and set aside on the counter for 1 hour, covering the bowl with a clean kitchen towel to prevent the dough from drying out as you shape the cookies.
- Preheat the oven to 370°F. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place about 3 tablespoons dough in the palm of one hand and use the other palm to roll it into a ball. Make an indentation in the ball with your finger. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons of the nut mixture into the indentation, then bring the edges of the dough up around the filling. Pinch the edges all around to seal in the filling. Flip the cookie over into the other hand, seam-side down, and gently press until the seam side is flattened. Place the cookie on a prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.
- Bake until the cookies are pale blond, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. The cookies can be stored at room temperature for 2 days; they will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks or in the freezer up to 3 months. Before serving, dust liberally with confectioners' sugar.
Tips:
- Use high-quality, finely ground semolina flour for a smooth and delicate texture.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before shaping to make it easier to handle.
- Use a light touch when shaping the dough to avoid overworking it.
- Bake the cookies until they are golden brown on the bottom and slightly firm to the touch.
- Let the cookies cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.
Conclusion:
Maamoul cookies are a delicious and festive treat that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. With their rich, nutty filling and delicate semolina dough, these cookies are sure to be a hit at your next party or gathering. So, next time you're looking for a special cookie to bake, give maamoul a try!
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