Maamoul Cookies: the most decadent date filled cookies!

Maamoul cookies are the traditional Arabic date filled cookies that are not too sweet but very flavorful! These are very popular in the Mediterranean world and can be stuffed with many other fillings as well. In Arabic, the word Ma’amoul means stuffed and hence these can be prepared using other ingredients such as walnuts, pistachios, and spicy date paste during the holy month of Ramadan!

Instructions

Soak the yeast in warm milk for 5 minutes or until it starts to foam. In a large bowl, add flour, powdered sugar, canola oil, butter, and rub it all together until it is coarse and sandy in texture. Add the yeast mixture and vanilla to the flour mixture.

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Step 1

Soak the yeast in warm milk for 5 minutes or until it starts to foam. In a large bowl, add flour, powdered sugar, canola oil, butter, and rub it all together until it is coarse and sandy in texture. Add the yeast mixture and vanilla to the flour mixture.

Knead the flour mixture into a soft dough with or without using water. Cover and keep the dough aside. Meanwhile, add the chopped dates into a pan. Add olive oil, almond extract, cinnamon, cardamom, and water to it. Cook this mixture on low heat until the dates are soft and mushy in consistency while stirring continuously. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C and line a baking tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

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Step 4

Knead the flour mixture into a soft dough with or without using water. Cover and keep the dough aside. Meanwhile, add the chopped dates into a pan. Add olive oil, almond extract, cinnamon, cardamom, and water to it. Cook this mixture on low heat until the dates are soft and mushy in consistency while stirring continuously. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C and line a baking tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Divide the dough into 12 small walnut sized balls. Roll the balls individually until about ½ centimeter thick. Add about ½ a teaspoon of the date paste at the center of the rolled dough and then carefully gather the ends of the dough to form a well-sealed dough ball. Slightly flatten the dough ball to form a circular flattened disc of it. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and date paste.

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Step 7

Divide the dough into 12 small walnut sized balls. Roll the balls individually until about ½ centimeter thick. Add about ½ a teaspoon of the date paste at the center of the rolled dough and then carefully gather the ends of the dough to form a well-sealed dough ball. Slightly flatten the dough ball to form a circular flattened disc of it. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and date paste.

Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking tray and then bake the cookies for about 20 minutes or until golden brown in color. Dust the cookies with powdered white sugar and enjoy!

Tips

You can add more water to the pan for cooking the dates well. Keep on crushing them while cooking to create a mushy date paste of this mixture. Add the powdered sugar to the baked cookies while it is still hot.

Nutritional information (per serving): 145 Calories, 5.1g Total fat (1.5g Saturated fat, 0.9g Polyunsaturated fat, 2.4g Monounsaturated fat), 5.4mg Cholesterol, 3.1mg Sodium, 79.2mg Potassium, 22.7g Total carbohydrates (1.2g Dietary fiber, 6.0g Sugars), 2.5g Protein