It Wouldn't Be Eid Without My Mom's Date- and Nut-Stuffed Cookies

Maamoul cookies

Maamoul cookies have always held a special place in my heart. The beautiful stuffed cookies were a staple in our family during special occasions, and now I’ve learned to recreate them using my mom’s recipe to share with my family. I’ve always been fascinated by the traditional way of using a maamoul cookie mold to shape them, and their intricate designs are so beautiful and unique. Here's what you need to know about this special sweet.

Related: 21 Amazing Arabic Sweets and Desserts

What Are Maamoul Cookies?

Maamoul is not your ordinary cookie! It’s a delicious cookie rooted in tradition and culture and found in many Middle Eastern cuisines, such as Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine. These cookies are crisp, and buttery and stuffed with either nuts or dates. They’re very lightly sweetened and have a unique preparation and presentation, making them a labor of love.

I only make maamoul during special occasions or during the month of Ramadan. Because of the tedious step of using the mold for each cookie, it’s best to make an assembly line for making the cookies so I often make these with my mom or my daughter.

Related: The 50 Best Ramadan Recipes

What Ingredients Do You Need for Maamoul Cookies?

It might not surprise you to know that you need butter, salt, sugar and powdered sugar to make these cookies, but there are a few less-common ingredients that also go into these treats.

• Semolina flour Instead of all-purpose flour, this recipe calls for semolina flour, which is coarser and more yellow than all-purpose flour. It gives the cookies their unique texture.
• Date paste This sticky sweet mixture is one of the fillings for the cookie. You can buy date paste at the market, order it online or make your own by blending soaked dates in the food processor.
• Mahlab This fragrant spice is made from the pit of a wild cherry tree. Look for it at Middle Eastern markets or order it online. If you can't find mahlab, you can use ground cardamom or a mix of cinnamon and cloves. 
• Dry active yeast Most cookie recipes don't call for yeast, but maamoul aren't your typical cookies. You'll notice that the recipe doesn't call for baking soda or baking powder, two common cookie leaveners. Here, the yeast gives the cookies their rise and tender texture. 
• Orange blossom water This classic Middle Eastern ingredient, which is made by boiling orange blossoms, has a floral flavor, as you might imagine. You can find it at Middle Eastern markets or order it online.

Related: The Easiest Way to Make Crispy, Buttery Baklava

How to Make Maamoul Cookies

This recipe requires some planning, so it's extra important to read all the way through the recipe before starting.

To make the dough, you'll need to start the night before by stirring together the melted butter semolina, mahlab and salt in a large bowl and letting it rest overnight. The next day, activate the yeast in warm water, mix it into the semolina mixture and let it rest (aka proof) for 15 minutes. While the dough proofs, stir together the nut filling.

When the dough is ready, divide it into 32 portions (a kitchen scale makes this easier), flatten each dough ball into a disk and add your fillings. Wrap the dough around the filling to enclose completely, then shape the cookies in the cookie mold. Bake until the bottoms are golden but the tops are still white, then top with powdered sugar.

Top Tips for Making Maamoul Cookies

The filling and shaping steps are usually where questions come up during this recipe. Here are some tips to help you out in those moments.

Don't overfill. Because the cookies transform from a ball to a flatter cookie using the mold, a little filling goes a long way, so don’t be tempted to fill them too much in order to ensure that they don’t burst out of the cookie dough.
Do a test run. It helps to test one using the mold of choice and when it seems to perfectly fit the mold, weigh the cookie dough. This allows each cookie to be the exact size for perfect shaping and equal sizing using the cookie mold. And always use a wooden mold because it’s best for ensuring the dough doesn’t stick to the mold.
Wing it, if you need to. If you don't have a cookie mold, you can still make these sweets. Just roll the dough around the filling and flatten the cookies before baking because they won't spread too much in the oven.

What Is the Significance of the Maamoul Designs?

The mold designs are often designed with patterns or symbols that have cultural or religious significance. You may notice some with crosses, crescents, or other religious symbols. Many others have geometric patterns that are very common in Middle Eastern art and architecture. The shape of the maamoul mold designs also signifies the type of stuffing inside of them: dome-shaped with a rounded top for walnuts, dome-shaped with a flat top for dates, and elongated oval shapes for pistachios.

Up next: 100 Ramadan Wishes and Greetings to Honor the Holy Month

Maamoul Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter

• 3 cups extra-fine semolina

• 1 teaspoon mahlab

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ⅓ cup warm water

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon dry active yeast

• 2 tablespoons orange blossom water

1. The night before, melt the butter in a large bowl and stir in the semolina, mahlab and salt until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature.

2. The next day, stir the warm water with the sugar and yeast and wait 5 minutes to allow it to get foamy. Transfer on top of the semolina mixture along with the orange blossom water and stir until it forms a smooth ball of dough. Cover with the plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, powdered sugar and orange blossom water to make the nut filling.

4. Preheat the oven to 350° and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Remove 1 tablespoon of dough (about 24 grams) and continue until you have 32 dough balls. Press each dough ball to flatten it. Place 2 teaspoons of the date paste into 16 of them and 2 teaspoons of the nut filling into the remaining 16. Pinch the dough over it to seal.

6. Place the dough ball inside the maamoul mold and pack well. Turn the mold over and tap the opposite side to remove from the mold. Repeat with the remaining stuffed dough and place the maamoul on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart.

7. Bake until the bottoms are golden, but the tops remain pale white, about 15 minutes. Sift powdered sugar over the top immediately and allow them to cool before serving.