Lebanese Maamoul (Date-Filled Semolina Cookies)

Name: Lebanese Maamoul (Date-Filled Semolina Cookies)
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 24 servings
Cuisine: Lebanese
Ingredients: 2 cups (320 g) fine semolina; 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground mahlab; ¼ teaspoon (1½ g) fine salt; 14 tablespoons (200 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until just warm; ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, at room temperature; 2 tablespoons (30 ml) orange blossom water; 2 cups, packed (300 g) soft pitted dates (Medjool or deglet noor), any stray pits removed, roughly chopped; 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, softened; ½ teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) orange blossom water; ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar, for dusting

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Tender, sandy semolina shortbread scented with orange blossom water and mahlab, wrapped around a soft cinnamon-spiced date filling. Baked pale and dusted with powdered sugar, these are the classic cookies of Lebanese Easter and Eid.

Prep: 1 hr
Cook: 20 min
Wait: 1 hr 30 min
Total: 2 hr 50 min
Makes: 24 cookies

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Ingredients

24 servings

For the dough
2 cups (320 g) fine semolina
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (2 g) ground mahlab
¼ teaspoon (1.5 g) fine salt
14 tablespoons (200 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until just warm
¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (30 ml) orange blossom water
For the filling
2 cups, packed (300 g) soft pitted dates (Medjool or deglet noor), any stray pits removed, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, softened
½ teaspoon (1 g) ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon (15 ml) orange blossom water
To finish
½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar, for dusting

Equipment (8)

2 large rimmed baking sheets (about 13×18-inch / 33×46 cm)
Parchment paper
Large mixing bowl
Food processor (or sturdy fork and bowl for mashing dates)
Kitchen scale
Maamoul molds (optional, about 2-inch / 5 cm)
Wire cooling rack
Fine-mesh sieve

Steps

Before you start

Melt the butter for the dough and let it cool until just warm (about 15 minutes) so it doesn't cook the flour or milk.
The dough needs a 1-hour rest for the semolina to hydrate, so plan about 3 hours from start to finish; resting overnight in the fridge gives an even more tender cookie.
Mahlab (ground cherry-stone spice) is sold at Middle Eastern groceries; grind whole seeds in a spice grinder if needed. Use soft, moist dates; if they feel dry, soak in hot water for 5 minutes and drain well.
Wooden maamoul molds are traditional but not required; the recipe includes a fork-pattern method.

1
Mix the dough base
- In a large bowl, whisk the semolina, flour, sugar, mahlab and salt.
- Pour in the cooled melted butter and rub it through the dry ingredients with your fingertips for about 3 minutes until every grain is coated and the mixture looks like damp sand and holds together when squeezed.
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Ready when: Mixture is evenly sandy and clumps when squeezed in your fist.
Tip: If the butter is hot it will make the cookies greasy and tough to shape; let it cool until barely warm.
2
Rest the dough
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour (or refrigerate up to overnight) so the semolina absorbs the butter and softens.
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Tip: If chilled overnight, leave it out 30 minutes before continuing.
3
Make the date filling
- Add the dates, softened butter, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon orange blossom water to a food processor.
- Pulse and then process for 1–2 minutes, scraping down the sides, until a thick, smooth, sticky paste forms.
- (Without a processor, mash with a fork and knead by hand.)
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Ready when: Paste is smooth, glossy and pulls away from the bowl in one mass with no visible date chunks.
Tip: If the paste is stiff or dry, knead in 1 teaspoon of water.
4
Portion the filling
- Weigh the paste into 24 portions of about 14 g (1 scant tablespoon) each and roll each into a smooth ball.
- Place them on a plate and cover with a damp towel so they stay soft.
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Ready when: 24 even, smooth balls.
Tip: Lightly wet your hands if the paste sticks.
5
Finish the dough
- Sprinkle the milk and 2 tablespoons orange blossom water over the rested crumbs.
- Knead gently for about 2 minutes, just until the dough comes together into a smooth, soft, pliable mass that doesn't crack when pressed.
- Divide into 24 pieces of about 32 g each and roll into balls; keep covered.
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Ready when: Dough is smooth, holds together and a pressed piece doesn't crumble at the edges.
Tip: Don't overwork it; too much kneading makes the cookies tough. If it cracks, knead in 1 teaspoon more milk.
6
Heat oven and line traysOven 350°F / 175°C
- Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C).
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Ready when: Oven reaches 350°F (175°C) by the time shaping is done.
7
Fill and shape
- Press a dough ball into a flat disc, then cup it in your palm and shape into a small bowl with thin, even walls.
- Set a filling ball inside, then pinch the dough up and over to seal fully, and roll lightly into a ball.
- For molded cookies, press the ball firmly into an ungreased mold, level the top, then rap the mold edge sharply on the counter to release.
- Without a mold, set the ball on the tray, flatten gently to a 2-inch (5 cm) dome and press the surface with fork tines to make a pattern.
- Arrange 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on the trays, 12 per sheet.
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Ready when: Filling is fully enclosed with no cracks or exposed dates.
Tip: Dust molds lightly with flour if dough sticks, and tap off the excess.
8
Bake until paleOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake both trays at 350°F (175°C) for 18–22 minutes, swapping and rotating the trays halfway through.
- Remove when the cookies are set and pale, with bottoms and just the edges tinged light golden.
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Ready when: Tops stay pale cream and are firm to a light touch; bottoms are light golden.
Tip: Do not wait for browned tops; overbaking makes maamoul dry and hard.
9
Cool completely
- Let the cookies rest on the trays for 10 minutes, since they are very fragile when hot.
- Then carefully move them to a wire rack and cool for 20 more minutes until fully cool.
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Ready when: Cookies feel firm and no longer warm on the bottom.
Tip: Dusting warm cookies makes the sugar melt and turn sticky.
10
Dust and serve
- Sift the powdered sugar generously over the cooled cookies and arrange them on a platter.
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Ready when: Cookies are coated in an even snowy layer.
Tip: Dust just before serving, since the sugar absorbs moisture over time.

Good to know

Tips

Weigh the dough and filling portions; a consistent ratio of about 2 parts dough to 1 part filling prevents bursting and thick, bready cookies.
Use fine semolina, not coarse; coarse grains stay gritty. Sold as 'semolina fine' or 'smeed na'em' in Middle Eastern shops.
Keep the dough and filling covered while you work so they don't dry out and crack.
For nut-filled variations, replace the dates with 1 cup (120 g) finely chopped walnuts or pistachios mixed with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon orange blossom water.

Make ahead

"Make the filling up to 5 days ahead and refrigerate it covered; bring to room temperature before rolling. The dough can rest in the fridge overnight, and shaped unbaked cookies can be frozen on a tray, then bagged for up to 1 month and baked from frozen, adding 3–5 minutes."

Storage & reheating

"Store undusted in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or refrigerate up to 2 weeks. Freeze baked cookies up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature for 1 hour. To refresh, warm at 300°F (150°C) for 5 minutes, cool, then dust with powdered sugar."

Substitutions

unsalted butter → ghee (same weight). Gives the most traditional, nutty flavor and a slightly sandier texture.
ground mahlab → ¼ teaspoon almond extract plus a pinch of ground anise. Mahlab has a cherry-almond flavor; this is only a rough substitute. Or simply omit.
orange blossom water → rose water. Use the same amount, or use half rose and half orange blossom; rose is stronger, so don't exceed the quantity.
fine semolina → more all-purpose flour (about 300 g). Cookies will be smoother and less sandy, but still tender.