Maamoul — Semolina Cookies with Date and Nut Fillings

Buttery semolina shortbread stamped in wooden moulds, filled with dates, walnuts, or pistachios, and
dusted with powdered sugar. Maamoul is the sweet of Easter in the Levant — Antiochian grandmothers
bake them by the hundreds in the week before Pascha. Each filling traditionally has a different
mould shape.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (butter, milk)

SERVINGS: 40 cookies
TIME: 2 hours active (plus overnight rest)

INGREDIENTS:
For the dough:
- 500 g fine semolina
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- 300 g unsalted butter, melted
- 50 ml whole milk, warm
- 50 g sugar
- 1 tablespoon rosewater
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast (dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water)
- 1 teaspoon mastika (ground), optional
- Pinch of salt

For the date filling:
- 400 g soft dates, pitted
- 50 g butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the walnut filling:
- 300 g walnuts, finely chopped
- 80 g sugar
- 1 tablespoon rosewater
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water

For the pistachio filling:
- 300 g pistachios, finely chopped
- 80 g sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- 2 tablespoons rosewater

For finishing:
- Powdered sugar for dusting

METHOD:
1. Night before: combine semolina, flour, and melted butter in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with your hands until every granule of semolina is coated. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight (8-12 hours) for the semolina to absorb the butter.
2. Next day: whisk warm milk, sugar, salt, rosewater, orange blossom water, yeast mixture, and mastika.
3. Pour over the rested semolina mixture. Knead gently by hand for 3-5 minutes until smooth. Do not overwork. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
4. Prepare fillings: for dates, mash dates with melted butter and cinnamon to a paste (if dates are very firm, warm briefly). For walnut and pistachio fillings, simply combine ingredients.
5. Divide dough into small walnut-sized balls (about 30 g each). Flatten in your palm.
6. Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the centre. Gather edges around the filling and pinch to seal. Roll into a ball.
7. Press into a maamoul mould (wooden, or modern plastic) — the different shapes distinguish fillings: round with dome for dates, oval for walnuts, rings for pistachios. Tap gently to release. Place on a lined baking sheet, dome-side up.
8. Bake at 170C (340F) for 18-22 minutes until the cookies are set but pale (never browned).
9. Cool completely on the tray. Dust generously with powdered sugar.
10. Store in airtight containers with layers of parchment. Keep 2 weeks.

NOTES:
- Maamoul are never brown. A golden-brown maamoul is overbaked. The semolina should be cooked through but the colour pale.
- The overnight rest is what makes maamoul tender and crumbly. Do not skip it.
- Traditional wooden maamoul moulds (tabi) are available at Middle Eastern grocers. A cookie stamp or even a floured fork pattern is an acceptable substitute.
- Every Antiochian home has its own filling preference. Some use a mix of walnuts and pistachios. Some add fig jam. All are correct.

NUTRITION (per cookie, approximate):
Calories: 180 | Protein: 3 g | Carbohydrates: 18 g | Fat: 11 g | Fibre: 2 g