Mamoul is a popular Middle Eastern cookie that is enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a delicious and festive treat that is often served during holidays and special occasions. Mamoul is made from a semolina dough that is filled with a variety of sweet or savory ingredients, such as dates, nuts, or pistachios. The cookies are then baked until they are golden brown and crispy. Mamoul can be found in many Middle Eastern bakeries and restaurants, but it is also easy to make at home. This article will provide detailed instructions on how to make the best mamoul recipe, from preparing the dough to filling and baking the cookies. Whether you are a seasoned baker or just starting out, this guide will help you create delicious and authentic mamoul that will impress your friends and family.
Here are our top 7 tried and tested recipes!
MAMOOL OR MA'AMOUL
Ma'amoul means filled in Arabic. These are very popular in Lebanon but can be found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. They are traditionally shaped as crescents or as pressed cookies and have several variations for the fillings. This one has a walnut filling, but you can use almonds or pistachios too.
Provided by MARIEMEM
Categories World Cuisine Recipes African
Time 1h27m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Place the semolina flour into a medium bowl, and cut in shortening using a pastry blender or a fork. Pour in boiling water, and mix to form a solid dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for a minute or two to be sure the dough is well blended. Cover dough and let stand for at least one hour, or as long as overnight.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar, ground nuts, and rose water so that the mixture is uniform. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets, or line with parchment paper. Knead dough again briefly, and form into walnut sized balls. Make a hole in the center using your finger. Fill the hole with the nut mixture, and seal the dough up over it. Gently form into balls or crescents, or make designs into the dough using a fork. Place cookies at least 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Dust with confectioners sugar while still warm if desired.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 371.8 calories, Carbohydrate 16.8 g, Fat 34.3 g, Fiber 0.9 g, Protein 2 g, SaturatedFat 7.2 g, Sodium 0.9 mg, Sugar 15.3 g
MA'AMOUL (LEBANESE DATE COOKIES)
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
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
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.
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.
MA'AMOUL
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
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
This is a Middle Eastern dessert that is served in most of the Middle East during Eid, Christmas and Easter.
Provided by riwasa
Time 2h20m
Yield Makes Cookies
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- DOUGH:
- Mix well the rough and ground semolina with the shortening and keep them aside uncovered for 10 hours.
- Then mix in all the ingredients for dough together in a mixer till the dough is flexible. Then divide the dough into small golf balls.
- PREPARING:
- Get the wooden moulder and flatten out the dough piece so it takes the shape of the wooden spoon and put your choice of filling (pistachios, walnuts or dates) and close the dough.
- Now knock down the dough so you filled and shaped Mamool comes out.
- Preheat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees celsius) 10 minutes before baking.
- BAKING:
- Bake at the higher rack in the oven 8 minutes. If they are lightly golden from the bottom, put them on broil for 8-10 minutes or until they look lightly golden. Take them out of the oven when they are done.
- SERVING:
- Cool and then sprinkle with confectioner sugar before serving. You can sprinkle the confectioners sugar through a small filter to spread evenly.
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.
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients. The better the ingredients, the better the maamoul will taste. Use fresh, flavorful dates, and high-quality butter and flour.
- Don't overwork the dough. Overworking the dough will make it tough. Mix the ingredients until they are just combined, then stop.
- Chill the dough before shaping it. Chilling the dough will make it easier to work with and will help prevent it from sticking to your hands.
- Be patient when shaping the maamoul. It takes a little bit of time and practice to get the perfect shape. Don't get discouraged if your first few maamoul don't look perfect. Just keep practicing and you'll eventually get the hang of it.
- Bake the maamoul until they are golden brown. This will ensure that they are cooked through and have a slightly crispy exterior.
- Let the maamoul cool completely before serving. This will allow the flavors to develop and the maamoul to set properly.
Conclusion:
Maamoul is a delicious and festive treat that is perfect for any occasion. With a little bit of planning and effort, you can easily make your own maamoul at home. So next time you're looking for a special dessert, give maamoul a try. You won't be disappointed!
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