Lebanese Maamoul Date Cookies
Maamoul are tender Middle Eastern cookies often made for holidays and family gatherings, with a crumbly semolina shell wrapped around a fragrant filling. This version keeps the classic Lebanese date filling simple: soft dates, a little butter, cinnamon, and orange blossom water.
The dough is made with fine semolina and all-purpose flour so the cookies hold their molded pattern while still feeling buttery and delicate. Resting the dough gives the semolina time to hydrate, which makes shaping easier and keeps the baked cookies from tasting sandy.
A wooden maamoul mold gives the cookies their traditional domed pattern, but the recipe still works if you press each filled ball gently with a fork or cookie stamp. The key is to seal the date paste completely inside the dough so the cookies bake neatly without leaking.
Bake maamoul only until the bottoms are lightly golden and the tops stay pale. After cooling, a generous dusting of powdered sugar settles into the pattern and balances the warm date filling.
Nutrition (per serving)
Directions
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1
Stir the semolina, flour, powdered sugar, mahlab, and salt together in a large bowl until evenly combined.
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2
Pour in the melted butter and rub it through the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture looks like damp sand. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
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3
Stir the warm milk, orange blossom water, and yeast together, then add to the semolina mixture. Knead gently for 2 to 3 minutes, just until a soft dough forms.
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4
Blend or mash the dates with the softened butter, cinnamon, and cardamom until the filling is smooth enough to roll. Divide into 24 small balls.
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5
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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6
Divide the dough into 24 balls. Flatten one piece in your palm, place a date ball in the center, and close the dough around it, pinching until fully sealed.
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7
Press each filled ball into a lightly floured maamoul mold, tap it out onto the baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
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8
Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the pans once, until the bottoms are lightly golden and the tops remain pale.
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9
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack and let them cool completely.
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10
Dust generously with powdered sugar just before serving.
Ingredients
- Fine Semolina:1 1/2 cups
- All-Purpose Flour:1 cup
- Powdered Sugar:1/3 cup
- Ground Mahlab:1/2 teaspoon
- Fine Salt:1/4 teaspoon
- Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled:10 tablespoons
- Whole Milk, warm:1/4 cup
- Orange Blossom Water:2 teaspoons
- Active Dry Yeast:1/2 teaspoon
- Pitted Soft Dates:10 ounces
- Unsalted Butter, softened:1 tablespoon
- Ground Cinnamon:1/2 teaspoon
- Ground Cardamom:1/4 teaspoon
- Powdered Sugar, for dusting:as needed
Tips & Notes
- If the dates feel dry, warm them briefly before blending so they turn into a smooth paste.
- Avoid over-kneading the dough; a short gentle knead keeps the cookies tender.
- Lightly flour the mold between cookies if the dough begins to stick.
- Store cooled maamoul in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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