Date and Walnut Ma'amoul Breakfast Bars

Name: Date and Walnut Ma'amoul Breakfast Bars
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 16 servings
Cuisine: Lebanese
Ingredients: 1¼ cups (200 g) fine semolina; 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; ½ cup (50 g) powdered sugar; ½ tsp (2 g) baking powder; ¼ tsp (1½ g) fine sea salt; ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm to the touch; 4 tbsp (60 ml) whole milk, at room temperature; 1 tbsp (15 ml) orange blossom water; 10½ oz (300 g) Medjool dates, pitted, about 14 dates, torn in half; 4 tbsp (60 ml) hot water, just boiled; 1 tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter, softened; 1½ tsp (4 g) ground cinnamon; 1 tsp (5 ml) orange blossom water; ⅛ tsp (¾ g) fine sea salt, a pinch; 1 cup (100 g) walnut halves, coarsely chopped into pea-sized pieces; 2 tbsp (15 g) powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

All the flavor of Levantine ma'amoul cookies in an easy pan: a buttery, tender semolina crust and crumble wrapped around a cinnamon-spiced date and walnut filling scented with orange blossom water. No molds needed, and they keep well for grab-and-go breakfasts.

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 40 min
Wait: 1 hr 15 min
Total: 2 hr 35 min
Makes: 16 bars (one 8-inch square pan)

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Ingredients

16 servings

For the crust and crumble
1¼ cups (200 g) fine semolina
1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled
½ cup (50 g) powdered sugar
½ tsp (2 g) baking powder
¼ tsp (1.5 g) fine sea salt
¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm to the touch
4 tbsp (60 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
1 tbsp (15 ml) orange blossom water
For the filling
10½ oz (300 g) Medjool dates, pitted, about 14 dates, torn in half
4 tbsp (60 ml) hot water, just boiled
1 tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter, softened
1½ tsp (4 g) ground cinnamon
1 tsp (5 ml) orange blossom water
⅛ tsp (0.8 g) fine sea salt, a pinch
1 cup (100 g) walnut halves, coarsely chopped into pea-sized pieces
To finish
2 tbsp (15 g) powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Equipment (8)

8×8-inch (20×20 cm) square baking pan
Parchment paper
Food processor (or a sturdy fork and a bowl for mashing the dates)
Large mixing bowl
Small saucepan or microwave-safe cup for melting butter and heating water
Rubber spatula
Wire rack
Fine-mesh sieve for dusting

Steps

Before you start

Use fine semolina (sometimes labeled 'extra fine' or 'ma'amoul semolina'). Coarse semolina gives a gritty bar.
Melt the butter and let it cool until warm, not hot, about 10 minutes, before you start.
The dough needs a 30-minute rest, so plan about 2½ hours in total, most of it hands-off.
Pit the dates if they are not already pitted, and check each one for stray pit fragments.

1
Mix the dough
- In a large bowl, whisk the semolina, all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, baking powder and fine sea salt (the first salt listing, ¼ teaspoon) together.
- Pour in the warm melted butter and stir with a spatula until every grain looks damp and sandy.
- Add the milk and 1 tablespoon orange blossom water, then mix and squeeze with your hands for about 1 minute until the mixture holds together when pinched, like damp sand that clumps.
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Ready when: Mixture clumps when squeezed but is not a smooth, wet dough.
Tip: Use warm, not hot, butter so it doesn't cook the flour or turn the dough greasy.
2
Rest the dough
- Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- The semolina absorbs the butter and milk, which gives a tender, short crumb instead of a sandy one.
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Ready when: Dough feels softer and holds together more easily when pressed.
3
Preheat and line panOven 350°F / 175°C
- About 15 minutes before the rest ends, heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the center.
- Line an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) pan with parchment, leaving 2 inches (5 cm) of overhang on two opposite sides to use as handles.
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Ready when: Oven is at temperature and parchment lies flat in the pan.
Tip: A dab of butter in the corners helps the parchment stay put.
4
Make the date filling
- Put the pitted dates in a food processor with 4 tablespoons (60 ml) just-boiled water, the softened tablespoon of butter, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon orange blossom water and the pinch of salt.
- Process for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides once, until a thick, smooth, spreadable paste forms.
- Add the chopped walnuts and pulse 2 or 3 times just to mix, leaving visible walnut pieces.
- Without a processor, mash the dates with a fork in a bowl with the hot water, then beat in the other ingredients and fold in the walnuts.
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Ready when: Paste is thick, sticky and smooth, with no date chunks, and walnut pieces are still visible.
Tip: If the paste is stiff and won't spread, add 1 more tablespoon of hot water.
5
Press and prebake baseOven 350°F / 175°C
- Measure out about two-thirds of the rested dough (roughly 400 g, or leave about 1½ cups in the bowl for the topping).
- Tip it into the lined pan and press firmly and evenly into the bottom, including the corners, using the flat bottom of a measuring cup.
- Prick all over with a fork.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes until the surface looks set and dry and the edges are just pale gold.
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Ready when: Surface looks dry and set, edges barely golden.
Tip: Press firmly: a loosely packed base crumbles when you cut the bars.
6
Spread the filling
- Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit for 2 minutes.
- Dollop the date filling over the warm base and spread it to the edges with a damp spatula or the back of a spoon into an even layer about ⅜ inch (1 cm) thick.
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Ready when: Filling covers the base edge to edge in an even layer.
Tip: Dipping the spatula in water stops the sticky filling from dragging the crust.
7
Add topping and bakeOven 350°F / 175°C
- Crumble the reserved dough over the filling in an even layer of pea- to marble-sized clumps, leaving small gaps so some filling shows.
- Press down very lightly with your palm.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and smells toasty and buttery.
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Ready when: Topping is golden brown, with deeper color at the edges, and the filling bubbles slightly at the sides.
Tip: Don't press the crumble hard, or the top turns dense instead of tender.
8
Cool completely
- Set the pan on a wire rack and let the bars cool in the pan for 45 minutes, until fully room temperature.
- The filling firms up as it cools, so cutting early gives messy bars.
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Ready when: Pan is no longer warm to the touch and the bars feel firm.
9
Slice and dust
- Lift the slab out using the parchment handles and set it on a cutting board.
- Cut into 4 even strips each way with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts, to make 16 bars.
- If you like, dust with powdered sugar through a fine sieve just before serving.
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Ready when: Bars hold clean edges with a visible layer of filling.
Tip: Dust with sugar just before serving, as it melts into the surface if done ahead.

Good to know

Tips

Weigh the semolina and flour if you can; semolina is dense, and cup measurements vary.
Orange blossom water is potent. Measure exactly, as too much tastes soapy.
For clean cuts, chill the cooled slab for 20 minutes and wipe your knife between slices.
For a less sweet bar, skip the powdered sugar dusting; the dates are plenty sweet.

Make ahead

"Bake the bars up to 2 days ahead and store them uncut or cut in an airtight container. Dust with powdered sugar only when serving. The dough can also be made and kept covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours; bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before pressing into the pan."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: airtight container, up to 3 days. Fridge: up to 1 week; let bars come to room temperature for 15 minutes before eating. Freezer: wrap individually and freeze up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for 1 hour. To reheat, warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 5 to 8 minutes."

Substitutions

walnut halves → pistachios or pecans. Pistachios are also traditional in ma'amoul; use the same weight, chopped.
unsalted butter → ghee. Use the same weight, melted. It gives a more traditional, nutty flavor.
orange blossom water → rose water or 1 tsp vanilla extract. Use 2 tsp rose water (stronger) or vanilla in place of the 1 tbsp orange blossom water; the flavor will be less floral.
Medjool dates → soft, pitted deglet noor dates. Soak in hot water for 10 minutes and drain well, as they are drier and less sweet than Medjool.