Description
Delicious traditional Middle Eastern cookies filled with date paste and nuts.
Ingredients
Scale
- 250 g coarse semolina
- 750 g extra fine semolina
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups unsalted butter (melted, or ghee)
- 1 teaspoon mahlab seeds (measured then ground)
- ½ teaspoon mastic (optional, measured then ground)
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- ¼ cup orange blossom water
- ¼ cup rose water
- ½ cup water
- 2 pounds date paste
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground anise
- ¼ cup ghee (or unsalted butter, melted)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup chopped pistachios
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine coarse semolina and extra-fine semolina, salt, granulated sugar, melted unsalted butter, mahlab, and ground mastic. Mix until all the semolina is moistened.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the mixture rest at room temperature overnight or for up to 2 days.
- After resting, add instant yeast, warm orange blossom water, rose water, and plain water to the dough. Mix until fully combined, then cover and let it rest for 20–30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the date filling by mixing the date paste with ground cinnamon, ground anise, and melted ghee or unsalted butter until smooth and pliable.
- To make the nut fillings, start by making a simple syrup (atter). In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, orange blossom water, and lemon juice. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- For the walnut filling, mix the chopped walnuts and ground cinnamon with the cooled atter.
- For the pistachio filling, mix the chopped pistachios with the cooled atter.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Weigh out 20 gram pieces of dough.
- Weigh out 16 gram pieces of date filling.
- Flatten the dough into a round disk in your palm, shape the date into an oval (kibbeh-style), place it inside the dough, and seal it. Roll gently to smooth the surface.
- For walnut filling, use the same ratio as the date filling (20 g dough to 16 g filling). For pistachio filling, use 8 g dough to 4 g filling. Shape and seal the same way.
- Press each filled dough ball into a ma’amoul mold or shape by hand.
- Tap the mold to release the cookie or gently lift if lined with plastic wrap.
- Place shaped cookies on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them slightly apart.
- Bake the larger cookies on the center rack for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden, and the smaller pistachio cookies for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake.
- Let cool completely before serving. Optionally, dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
- For a more intense flavor, let the dough rest for 2 days as suggested.
- Ensure to shape the cookies carefully to retain their filling.
- Experiment with different nuts for variety in flavors.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 50mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 20mg