Middle Eastern Maamoul are date and nut cookies made of a super buttery semolina shortbread cookie that melts in your mouth. Also known as Kahk, these cookies are perfect for eid or any other special occaion.
Make Dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, semolina, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the melted butter, milk, and orange blossom water or vanilla and mix to combine. You can do this by hand or using a stand mixer fitted with the dough attachment. Cover the dough and set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or cover it in the fridge overnight.
To make the Nut Filling: Add the nuts, sugar, honey, and cinnamon to a food processor and give it a few pulses until the mixture is coarsely ground/ finely chopped. Divide into 1-teaspoon size portions and shape into balls; set aside.
Date Filling: If you will be filling with dates, shape the date balls into about 1 teaspoon balls and set aside. To make a homemade date filling, please see the notes below.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Shape: Scoop around 1 tablespoon of dough at a time and form into a ball shape. Flatten the dough and stuff with one of either dates or the nut mixture balls. Close and roll into a ball. Arrange on a baking sheet and gently press each ball with the maamoul mold. If you don’t have a mold you can flatten the dough balls using a cup and decorate with a fork.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden then cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve with tea (link adeni tea).
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Notes
Filling Ratio: The recipe makes enough dough for one filling. Either the 13 oz date paste or the nut mixture. If you would like to use both, double the recipe or make half the nut mixture.Dates: I like to use date paste as it is much easier to use and works perfectly! You can find them on Amazon or buy them at your local Middle Eastern market for MUCH cheaper. If you’d like to make your own date paste, you will need to pulse 20 dates and 2 Tablespoons of melted butter in a food processor until you reach a paste texture.Maamoul Mold: I like to use this easy-to-use moon cake mold. I’ve tried many molds over the years and this is by far the easiest option to use! It’s not as traditional but it works perfectly. You can use any mold you have on hand and if you don’t have a mold and don’t care about aesthetics, you can simply use a fork to decorate the cookies.