Maamoul Pistachio Walnut And Date Pastries Recipes

MA'AMOUL

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: In a large bowl combine the butter and ghee and mix well with a spatula. In a separate bowl, combine the coarse and fine semolina, the sugar and mahlab and mix well.
• Add the dry ingredients to the butter-ghee mixture. Use your hands to massage the ingredients together, rubbing it between your fingers without kneading or over-working the dough. Add ¼ cup orange blossom water and thoroughly mix with your hands again. Cover and set aside to rest for at least two hours and up to 10 hours at room temperature.
• Meanwhile, prepare the nut fillings: In a bowl, thoroughly mix the pistachios, sugar and orange blossom water; set aside. In a separate bowl thoroughly mix the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and orange blossom water; set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix the yeast with 2 tablespoons warm water until it dissolves. Add it to the dough and mix using your hands (but, again, don't knead). If the dough seems too dry to form into a ball, add cold milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. The dough shouldn't be wet, just moist enough to stick together when forming the cookies.
• Take a chunk of dough and roll it into a ball the size of a golf ball. Holding the dough ball in one hand, take the index finger of your other hand to indent the center and form a hollow area by continuing to press down while turning the ball with your other hand. Spoon one of the nut fillings into the hole and close it back up, pinching the dough together over the filling. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
• In the Middle East, ma'amoul cookies have beautiful intricate designs after being pressed into special molds. You can find molds online or at a Middle Eastern supermarket. Otherwise you could use a muffin tin to shape the cookies. Press the stuffed dough ball into an oiled mold and then gently smack the mold onto your hand to get the cookie out. Arrange the molded cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown on the bottom, about 14 minutes.
• Dust the cookies with a layer of powdered sugar as soon as they come out of the oven (the sugar will melt into the dough), then dust again once cooled. Serve with a cup of tea or Turkish coffee.

MA'AMOUL (MINIATURE DATE-NUT PASTRIES)

Steps:

• To make the filling, combine the dates, nuts, sugar, water and cinnamon in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook until the dates are soft and the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
• To make the dough, sift the flour into a bowl and mix in the salt. Gently stir in the butter. Add the rose water and enough milk to make the dough adhere without being crumbly, mixing just to combine.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Separate the dough into walnut-size pieces, about 1 1/4 inch long by 1 inch wide. Take 1 piece and gently roll it into a ball between your palms. Then make an indentation with your thumb, pinching the sides up to make a large thimble shape. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Fill the hollows with a scant teaspoon of the filling. Press the dough back over the filling to make a ball. Flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand and place all of them on a greased baking sheet.
• Decorate the top of each pastry with the tines of a fork -- straight lines are traditional. Bake for about 30 minutes; do not let the pastries brown. Let cool. Roll them in confectioners' sugar and store in an airtight tin.