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cookies on a black metal serving plate with one maamoul on the top and cut in half to show date filling.
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4.81 from 84 votes

Maamoul

Maamoul are date filled cookies very that is so popular in the Middle East. Here is an authentic recipe with different fillings to choose from.
Prep Time45 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Resting Time:8 hrs
Total Time1 hr
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Middle East
Diet: Halal
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 249.5kcal
Author: Amira

Ingredients

For the first stage:

  • 2 cups (350g) semolina.
  • 1 cup (125g) all purpose flour.
  • ½ Tablespoon ground mahleb. Note1
  • A dash of salt.
  • 1 cup (250g) ghee. Note2

For the second stage:

  • 1 Tablespoon dry milk.
  • ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast.
  • 3 Tablespoon simple syrup. Note3
  • ¼-1/3 cup warm milk.

Date filling:

  • 1 cup (150g) dates.
  • 1 teaspoon ghee.
  • 1 Tablespoons cinnamon or rose water or orange blossom water.
  • 1 Tablespoon roasted sesame seeds.

Pistachio filling:

  • 1 ¼ cup (150g) pistachios.
  • ½ Tablespoon powder sugar.
  • 2 Tablespoons simple syrup.
  • ½ teaspoon ghee.

Walnut filling:

  • 1 ½ cup (150g) walnuts.
  • ½ Tablespoon powder sugar.
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
  • 2 Tablespoons simple syrup.
  • ½ teaspoon ghee.

Instructions

First stage

  • Melt ghee in microwave or stovetop but do not let it get too hot or boiling.
  • In a deep semolina, flour mahleb, salt and mix.
  • Pour in the melted ghee and mix well.
  • Use the palms of your hands and rub the semolina mixture for a couple of minutes.
  • Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.

Second stage:

  • Take the dough out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature to soften as it might harden in the refrigerator.
  • Add dry milk, yeast and mix well.
  • Mix in the syrup then add the milk little by little until you feel the dough is soft and rolls nicely into a ball.
  • Cover and let it rest for 1 hour.
  • Divide the dough into 24 balls.
  • Preheat oven to 350F

Make the fillings:

  • In your food processor combine the ingredients of each filling and process to desired texture. Note4
  • Divide the filling(s) into 24 balls.

Shape and bake maamoul:

  • With your thumb make a dent in each dough and fill with any of the stuffing suggested.
  • Close and roll into a ball. Press into a maamoul mold or flatten a bit and make some marks with a fork in a decorative way.
  • Bake on the middle rack for 10. Minutes then move up for another 7-10 minutes until top is lightly golden.
  • Let it cool down on the baking sheet for 3-4 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Video

Notes

Note1: Mahleb powder is used to flavor the maamoul. It is a tradition to use it, but you can use crushed mastic, cinnamon or skip it.
Note2: You can use ghee, butter, oil or a combination.
Note3: Simple syrup is made by boiling 1 cup sugar + 1 cup water and ½ teaspoon of lime/lemon juice, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add vanilla, rose water, orange blossom water for flavor if desired. Let it cool completely before using in maamoul.
Note4: for pistachio and walnut filling some people like to finely process ¾ of the nuts leaving the rest roughly chopped for a chunkier filling. You can make the whole batch with any of the fillings above by tripling the amount of the desired filling.
Nutrition facts are calculated for the date filled maamoul.
Please check the nutrition disclaimer policy.

Nutrition

Calories: 249.5kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.3g | Protein: 3.2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 2.6mg | Potassium: 167.3mg | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 16.8g