Maamoul (Date Filled Cookies)
User Reviews
5
14 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
45 mins
-
Cook Time
15 mins
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Rest Time
15 mins
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Servings
18 cookies
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Calories
250 kcal
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Course
Dessert
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Cuisine
Middle Eastern, Lebanese
Maamoul (Date Filled Cookies)
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Maamoul are traditional date-filled cookies made with a blend of semolina and all-purpose flour, ghee, sugar, and flavored with orange blossom water or vanilla extract. The dough is crumbly yet pliable, enclosing a sweet date paste filling, then baked to a delicate crumbly texture. These cookies balance a subtle floral aroma with a rich, buttery base and the natural sweetness of dates, making them a special treat often enjoyed during festive occasions.
Description
Maamoul (Date Filled Cookies) combine semolina and all-purpose flour with ghee and sugar to create a pliable crumbly dough that's flavored with orange blossom water or vanilla. The addition of mahleb provides a subtle aromatic note when included. After mixing the dough to the right consistency, it is shaped around a sweet date paste filling and baked at 350°F until done.
The texture of the finished cookies is delicate and crumbly, with a lightly sweetened, fragrant dough surrounding the moist, rich date filling. The use of semolina adds slight graininess and structure to the dough, contrasting nicely with the smooth date puree.
Maamoul can be served as a snack or dessert, often accompanied by tea or coffee. Their moderate sweetness and aromatic flavors make them suitable for sharing during holidays and special gatherings.
Achieving the correct dough consistency is important to prevent cracking or difficulty releasing the cookies from molds. Adjusting the flour or milk quantity carefully ensures the dough holds shape and bakes evenly. Watch for cracking tops as a doneness cue and allow the cookies to cool undisturbed on the pan.
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Ingredients
- 3/4 ghee or clarified butter
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature, large
- 2 teaspoons orange blossom water or vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups semolina flour
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus more as needed to finish the dough and coat the molds, if using
- 2 teaspoons mahleb optional; replace with flour if not using
- 1-3 tablespoons milk any fat content level, at room temperature
- ¼ cup confectioners' sugar for finishing
- 10 oz date paste or 20 pureed pitted Medjool dates
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Whisk clarified butter (or ghee), sugar, eggs and blossom water together: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or using a hand-held mixer, beat the butter first on medium, then on high speed in a large bowl until creamy and light, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the sugar, egg, and orange blossom water or vanilla extract. Beat until the mixture is thick, pale, and creamy, another 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice during beating..
- Add the flours and mahleb: If using a stand mixer, remove the bowl from the stand. Add the semolina, all-purpose flour. If using mahleb, add that here too. Use a spoon or rubber spatula to combine the ingredients together until you have a crumbly dough that will hold together when squeezed.
- Check the dough: If the dough stays on your fingertips when squeezed, it is too wet. Add all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon at a time, stir and squeeze. If the dough feels dry (you’ll see cracking), add milk 1 tablespoon at a time, stir and squeeze. Squeeze the dough as you work, until the dough is smooth, pliable, and soft.
- Let the dough rest: Set the dough aside to rest for about 15 minutes, so the flour can absorb the moisture. Test the dough after resting to be sure it is soft and pliable, adding more flour or milk if needed (another rest after this is not necessary).
- To shape and bake the dough: Take a 1 ounce piece of dough about the size of a walnut or 1 tablespoon, shape into a ball by rolling the dough between the palms of your hands.
- To shape maamoul using a mold: Coat the interior of the mold with flour and knock out the excess. Do this before molding each cookie to help release the molded dough. Place the dough ball into the mold and press into the center of the ball to create a hollow space in the center. This will push the dough up above the edges around the perimeter of the mold. Roughly shape about a tablespoon of date paste into a ball and drop it into the hollowed space. Use the displaced dough from around the edges of the mold cavity to enclose the date ball, covering it completely. Smooth the dough flat.
- Turn the mold face down and tap the top corner of the mold head firmly on the work surface (whack!) once or twice to release the cookie. Carefully transfer the cookie to the prepared baking sheet and place them 1-inch apart.
- To shape maamoul by hand: Dust your work surface with flour. Use your hand or a rolling pin dusted with flour to flatten the dough ball to about ¼-inch thick in an oblong shape, about 2 1/2-inches long by 1 1/2-inches wide. Shape a tablespoon of date paste into a log similar in shape but smaller than the flattened dough. Lay the log of date paste in the center of the dough and cover the date filling by enclosing it in the dough and sealing the edges together up over the date paste log. Turn the log over, continuing to smooth and shape the dough by hand into a log, ensuring there are no cracks. Use a fork to press or a strawberry huller to pinch the top of the dough in a deep, decorative pattern, piercing all the way to the date filling. Carefully transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets and place them 1 inch apart.
- Shape the cookies: Repeat the shaping process with a mold or by hand with the rest of the dough and date filling.
- Bake the cookies: Bake the cookies, one sheet pan at a time, in the center of the oven, for 15-17 minutes, or until the cookies are a pale golden brown. Check the cookies frequently in the last 5 minutes of cook time to check for cracking. If the tops begin to crack, immediately remove the cookies from the oven.
- Cool and serve the cookies: Allow the cookies to cool completely, undisturbed, on the pan, at least one hour. Sift confectioners’ sugar over the cookies and give them a fresh dusting again just before serving.
- To store the cookies: Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature, or for two months frozen.
Notes
- The dough consistency is crucial: add milk if too dry or flour if too soft to prevent cracking or shaping difficulties.
- Measure flour using the spoon-in-cup method to avoid adding too much flour.
- If cracks start appearing during baking, remove the cookies promptly and cool them on a rack without disturbance.
- These cookies are traditionally enjoyed during special occasions and pair well with tea or coffee.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
250kcal
(13%)
Carbohydrates
39.1g
(13%)
Protein
3.3g
(7%)
Fat
10.7g
(16%)
Saturated Fat
6.6g
(33%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.5g
(3%)
Monounsaturated Fat
2.8g
(14%)
Trans Fat
0.4g
(20%)
Cholesterol
36.2mg
(12%)
Sodium
85.1mg
(4%)
Potassium
224.5mg
(5%)
Fiber
2.5g
(10%)
Sugar
19.8g
(40%)
Vitamin A
368.1IU
(7%)
Calcium
25.8mg
(3%)
Iron
1.2mg
(7%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 18cookies
Amount Per Serving
Calories 250 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 250kcal | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 39.1g | 13% |
| Protein | 3.3g | 7% |
| Fat | 10.7g | 16% |
| Saturated Fat | 6.6g | 33% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.5g | 3% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2.8g | 14% |
| Trans Fat | 0.4g | 20% |
| Cholesterol | 36.2mg | 12% |
| Sodium | 85.1mg | 4% |
| Potassium | 224.5mg | 5% |
| Fiber | 2.5g | 10% |
| Sugar | 19.8g | 40% |
| Vitamin A | 368.1IU | 7% |
| Calcium | 25.8mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1.2mg | 7% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
14 reviews
Excellent
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