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Maamoul (Lebanese Date Cookies)
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Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 575 minutes
Maamoul cookies: Buttery Middle Eastern treats filled with orange-infused date paste, perfect for special occasions.
Ingredients:
2cups semolina flour
1cupall-purpose flour
0.5 teaspoonground mahlab
1cupclarified butter, at room temperature
5tablespoons milk
1teaspoonactive dry yeast
4tablespoons orange blossom water, or more as needed
10tablespoons date paste (such as Ziyad®), cut into small pieces
2tablespoons powdered sugar, or to taste
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine semolina flour, all-purpose flour, mahlab, and salt. Use your fingertips to work clarified butter into the dry ingredients until well combined. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 8 hours to overnight.
1. In a microwave-safe bowl, warm the milk for about 15 seconds. Add sugar and yeast, stir until dissolved, then let it stand for 5 minutes until it becomes foamy.
Pour the yeast mixture and fragrant orange blossom water over the dough, blending until evenly moistened. Shape a piece of dough into a smooth ball that holds its form without cracking. Adjust by adding extra milk or orange blossom water if necessary. Cover and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) while lining 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Dust the ma’amoul molds with flour and shake off any excess. Take a walnut-sized piece of dough, shape it into a ball, and create a small indentation with your thumb. Gently flatten the edges with your fingers to ensure uniform thickness. Place a piece of date paste in the hollow and seal the dough around it by pinching.
Place the cookie into the mold cavity seam-side up and press down to align it with the edges of the mold. Trim any excess dough. Flip the mold over and tap it gently on your work surface to release the cookie. Repeat the process with the rest of the dough and date paste, spacing the cookies 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.
Place one baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake until the edges and bottoms are golden, while the tops remain mostly pale, for about 15 minutes.
Dust the warm cookies with powdered sugar and allow them to cool. Store in an airtight container once completely cooled at room temperature.