Name: Date Ma'amoul Cookies
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: أردنية / شامية
Ingredients: 3 cups fine semolina; 1 cup melted ghee; 1/4 cup rose water; 1 tsp instant yeast; 1/4 cup warm milk; Powdered sugar for dusting; For the filling: 2 cups date paste; 2 tbsp ghee; 1 tsp cinnamon

Crumbly semolina shortbread stuffed with spiced date paste, stamped with traditional wooden molds and served at holidays.

المقادير

3 cups fine semolina

1 cup melted ghee

1/4 cup rose water

1 tsp instant yeast

1/4 cup warm milk

Powdered sugar for dusting

For the filling: 2 cups date paste

2 tbsp ghee

1 tsp cinnamon

خطوات التحضير

Knead the semolina thoroughly with the melted ghee and let it rest, covered, for 4-6 hours (or overnight).

Dissolve the yeast in warm milk and add it with the rose water to the semolina dough; knead until it comes together.

Mix the date paste with ghee and cinnamon until soft and pliable.

Take a portion of dough, shape into a ball, hollow it with your finger, fill with a small ball of date paste, and seal well.

Press the filled ball into a wooden ma'amoul mold, or shape by hand to create a pattern on the surface.

Bake at moderate heat (170°C/340°F) for 15-20 minutes until the bottom lightly colors without browning the top; dust with powdered sugar once cooled.

نصيحة

Don't bake ma'amoul until it browns — it should stay pale on top to keep a short, tender texture instead of drying out.

Ma'amoul is one of the most cherished sweets of the Levant, Egypt, and the Gulf, closely tied to Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and Christian Easter/Christmas celebrations, when families gather to prepare large batches days ahead. It's filled with dates, walnuts, or pistachios, and stamped with carved wooden molds («tabe'») to create distinctive geometric patterns.

The secret to great ma'amoul is a semolina dough enriched with ghee and rested for hours, so it turns out short and melt-in-the-mouth without crumbling apart during filling.