Best 6 Mamool Or Maamoul Recipes

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# Discover the Sweetness of Mamool: A Journey Through Middle Eastern Delicacies

Embark on a culinary adventure to the heart of the Middle East with the traditional cookie, mamool. These delightful pastries, also known as maamoul, hold a special place in the region's culinary heritage and grace festive occasions and gatherings. Mamool is a crisp, crumbly cookie crafted from fine semolina flour and filled with an array of sweet or savory ingredients. The most popular fillings are dates, nuts, and pistachios, each offering a unique taste and texture.

In this article, we present a collection of mamool recipes that capture the essence of this beloved treat. From classic date-filled mamool to variations featuring unique fillings and modern twists, these recipes provide a comprehensive guide to creating these delectable cookies at home. Whether you're a seasoned baker or just starting your culinary journey, these recipes will equip you with the knowledge and techniques to create perfect mamools that will impress your family and friends.

## Date-Filled Mamool: A Timeless Classic

Indulge in the traditional delight of date-filled mamool, where the sweetness of dates harmonizes perfectly with the crispy semolina crust. This classic recipe offers a straightforward approach, ensuring success even for novice bakers.

## Pistachio-Filled Mamool: A Nutty Delight

Experience the nutty richness of pistachio-filled mamool, where finely ground pistachios lend their distinctive flavor and vibrant green hue to the cookies. This recipe elevates the classic mamool with a touch of sophistication, making it a perfect choice for special occasions.

## Walnut-Filled Mamool: A Crunchy Twist

Discover the delightful crunch of walnut-filled mamool, where walnuts add a delightful textural contrast to the soft cookie. This recipe showcases the versatility of mamool, demonstrating how different nuts can transform its character.

## Rose-Scented Mamool: A Fragrant Delight

Immerse yourself in the aromatic world of rose-scented mamool, where the delicate fragrance of rose water permeates every bite. This recipe adds a touch of elegance and refinement to the classic cookie, making it a perfect accompaniment to afternoon tea or as a gift for loved ones.

With these recipes, you'll be able to create a platter of mamool that delights the senses and showcases the culinary diversity of the Middle East. Embrace the sweetness of mamool and embark on a journey of taste and tradition.

Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!

MA'AMOUL (LEBANESE DATE COOKIES)



Ma'amoul (Lebanese Date Cookies) image

After a few phone calls with my mom and grandma, I managed to write a detailed recipe for one of my favorite Lebanese sweets, ma'amoul. They take time to make, but are not very difficult. Wooden ma'amoul molds give them their distinctive decorative shapes.

Provided by LauraF

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     Middle Eastern     Lebanese

Time 9h35m

Yield 48

Number Of Ingredients 11

2 cups semolina flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground mahlab
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup clarified butter, at room temperature
5 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
4 tablespoons orange blossom water, or more as needed
10 tablespoons date paste (such as Ziyad®), cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons powdered sugar, or to taste

Steps:

  • Mix semolina flour, all-purpose flour, mahlab, and salt together in a large bowl. Work clarified butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until thoroughly incorporated. Cover bowl and let dough rest at room temperature, 8 hours to overnight.
  • Pour milk into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until just warm, about 15 seconds. Stir in sugar and yeast until dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  • Pour yeast mixture and orange blossom water over the dough and mix until evenly moistened. Pinch off a piece of dough and roll into a ball; it should hold its shape without cracking. Add more milk or orange blossom water if needed. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  • Sprinkle some flour over the ma'amoul molds and tap out the excess. Pinch off a walnut-sized piece of dough and roll into a ball. Press your thumb into the ball to create space for the filling. Work the edges with your fingers so the sides are even and fairly thin. Drop in a piece of date paste and pinch dough over it to seal.
  • Place cookie into the mold cavity seam-side up. Press down so that the top is flush with edges of the mold. Trim off any excess dough. Invert the mold and tap it against your work surface to release the cookie. Repeat with remaining dough and date paste, arranging cookies 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.
  • Bake in the preheated oven, 1 baking sheet at a time, until edges and bottoms are golden but tops are still mostly pale, about 15 minutes.
  • Sift powdered sugar over the cookies while still slightly warm. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 56.5 calories, Carbohydrate 4.4 g, Cholesterol 11.1 mg, Fat 4.3 g, Fiber 0.2 g, Protein 0.4 g, SaturatedFat 2.7 g, Sodium 25.1 mg, Sugar 2.1 g

MAAMOUL (DATE FILLED COOKIES)



Maamoul (Date Filled Cookies) image

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

1/2 cup ghee (or butter, grass fed )
1/4 cup light olive oil (or butter/ghee)
2 ½ cups all purpose flour ((may use half whole wheat pastry flour))
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons rose water (or orange flower water)
3 tablespoons milk ((start with 2 and add as needed))
2/3 lb dates (medjool, soft, pitted, chopped (or ready made date paste))
confectioner's sugar
almond flour

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

MA'AMOUL



Ma'amoul image

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

2 cups fine semolina
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 ounces ghee (clarified butter), at room temperature (about 10 tablespoons)
1/2 cup milk
8 ounces baking dates (date paste)
1 1/2 teaspoons ghee, plus more for your hands
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting on top of the cookies, optional

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 (Pistachio, Walnut and Date Pastries) image

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

1 cup pistachios, chopped
5 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. rosewater
1 Tbsp. orange blossom water
1 cup walnuts, chopped medium fine
5 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. orange blossom water
Zest of ½ an orange
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups chopped pitted dates
1 Tbsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. melted butter
2 lb. (6 cups) fine semolina
2 Tbsp. ground mahlab
3 cups clarified butter, melted
1 tsp. instant dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups full-fat milk, lukewarm
Icing sugar, for dusting

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.

MA'AMOUL



Ma'amoul image

Ma'amoul are popular Middle Eastern shortbread cookies flavored with mahlab - a powdered spice made of cherry pits - and orange blossom water. They're usually stuffed with crushed pistachios, crushed walnuts or date paste and stamped with geometric designs. They are often presented as gifts during high holidays, and are best enjoyed with tea or Turkish coffee. This version, which came to The Times by way of Dalia Mortada in a Sunday Review piece she wrote about Syrian food, is adapted from Rana Jebran, a founder of HoneyDoe, a Syrian catering company in Chicago.

Provided by The New York Times

Categories     cookies and bars, dessert

Time 3h

Yield 18 to 20 cookies

Number Of Ingredients 17

9 tablespoons (125 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1 1/2 cups (250 grams) coarse semolina
1 1/2 cups (250 grams) fine semolina (or all-purpose flour)
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon mahlab (available in Middle Eastern shops)
1/4 cup orange blossom water
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 to 3 tablespoons cold milk
Powdered sugar, for dusting
6 tablespoons (50 grams) shelled pistachios, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon orange blossom water
1/2 cup (50 grams) walnut pieces, finely choppped
1/2 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon orange blossom water

Steps:

  • Prepare the dough: In a large bowl combine the butter and ghee and mix well with a spatula. In a separate bowl, combine the coarse and fine semolina, the sugar and mahlab and mix well.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the butter-ghee mixture. Use your hands to massage the ingredients together, rubbing it between your fingers without kneading or over-working the dough. Add ¼ cup orange blossom water and thoroughly mix with your hands again. Cover and set aside to rest for at least two hours and up to 10 hours at room temperature.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the nut fillings: In a bowl, thoroughly mix the pistachios, sugar and orange blossom water; set aside. In a separate bowl thoroughly mix the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and orange blossom water; set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 350˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix the yeast with 2 tablespoons warm water until it dissolves. Add it to the dough and mix using your hands (but, again, don't knead). If the dough seems too dry to form into a ball, add cold milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. The dough shouldn't be wet, just moist enough to stick together when forming the cookies.
  • Take a chunk of dough and roll it into a ball the size of a golf ball. Holding the dough ball in one hand, take the index finger of your other hand to indent the center and form a hollow area by continuing to press down while turning the ball with your other hand. Spoon one of the nut fillings into the hole and close it back up, pinching the dough together over the filling. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
  • In the Middle East, ma'amoul cookies have beautiful intricate designs after being pressed into special molds. You can find molds online or at a Middle Eastern supermarket. Otherwise you could use a muffin tin to shape the cookies. Press the stuffed dough ball into an oiled mold and then gently smack the mold onto your hand to get the cookie out. Arrange the molded cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown on the bottom, about 14 minutes.
  • Dust the cookies with a layer of powdered sugar as soon as they come out of the oven (the sugar will melt into the dough), then dust again once cooled. Serve with a cup of tea or Turkish coffee.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 211, UnsaturatedFat 5 grams, Carbohydrate 23 grams, Fat 11 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 4 grams, SaturatedFat 5 grams, Sodium 2 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams

MAMOOL WALNUT COOKIES



Mamool Walnut Cookies image

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

For the Filling
3 pounds pistachio or walnuts, shelled and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons butter, ghee or corn oil
3 tablespoons rose water
3 tablespoons orange blossom water
1 cup superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
For the Dough
2 pounds fine semolina flour
1 pound white farina
1 pound all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon mastic
1 tablespoon mahlab
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups milk or orange blossom water
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

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 semolina flour for a better texture and flavor.
  • Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, this will help prevent the cookies from cracking.
  • Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before shaping, this will make it easier to work with.
  • Use a variety of fillings, such as dates, pistachios, and walnuts, to create different flavors of maamoul.
  • Bake the maamoul until they are golden brown and firm to the touch.

Conclusion:

Maamoul are a delicious and versatile Middle Eastern cookie that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. With a variety of fillings and flavors to choose from, there is sure to be a maamoul that everyone will love. Whether you are making them for a special occasion or just for a snack, these cookies are sure to be a hit.

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