Ma’amoul – Middle Eastern Cookies Stuffed with Pistachios, Dates & Walnuts
Ma’amoul are small shortbread pastries filled with pistachios, walnuts and dates. They are popular around the Middle East where they are available year around although they are mostly consumed during different religious holidays. For example, in Lebanon the Christians consume them at Easter and the Muslims during Ramadan. Ma’amoul cookies are extremely moreish and once you pop you really can’t stop! I love the fact that they are a combination of sweet and savory.
The Cast of Characters, Makes 75
For the dough
- 850g semolina or about 5.5 cups
- 200g of ferkha (farina or potato starch) or about 1.5 cups
- 450g of butter, melted
- 250ml or 1 cup of orange blossom water
- 200g of caster sugar or 1 cup
- 1 teaspoon mahlab
- 3 maamoul molds (oval for pistachios, circle for walnuts and the one that resembles the sun for dates)
- Powdered sugar for sprinkling
Walnut Filling
- 200g walnuts (about 2 cups)
- 80g of sugar (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water
Pistachio Filling
Date Filling
- 250g dates, pitted
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 50g of walnuts (about 1/2 cup)
Read more and check the pictures on Dirty Kitchen Secrets
