Lebanese Maamoul Cookies With Walnuts and Pistachio

Ingredients
Maamoul Dough Ingredients
1. 1 lb coarse semolina
2. 5 oz fine semolina
3. 0.5 cup sugar
4. 0.6 lb of sweet butter, melted
5. 4 oz of rose water
6. 1 oz of orange blossom water
7. teaspoon of yeast
8. cup of warm water
9. Ground mahlab to taste (Cherry pit powder)(optional, but recommended)
10. teaspoon of ground Greek Mistika (optional)(black resins powdered)
11. A bit of acacia incense (bakhoor) (optional)
12. Nut Fillings Ingredients
13. to 1 cup of regular sugar
14. 2 cups of powdered sugar
15. 0.5 lb of unsalted pistachio nuts
16. 0.5 lb of unsalted walnuts
17. 1 oz of rose water
18. 1 oz of orange blossom water

Instructions
Maamoul Dough Preparation Method
Mix the coarse and fine semolina, along with 0.5 cup of regular sugar with hands or in
food processor (we used a food processor).
Melt the butter on low heat, let cool down, then pour on top of the semolina mix and
work it with your hands into a paste. You can also use a food processor and knead for 4-5
minutes on low speed.
Warm 4 oz of rose water, 1 oz of orange blossom water in a pot along with the Greek
mistika (optional) and pour on the paste.
Dilute the yeast in cup of warm water and add to the paste.
Add a dash of Mahlab powder and knead the dough with your hands, or in the food
processor for 3-5 more minutes.
You should now have a nice dough that needs about 7-10 hours of rest, covered, at room
temperature.
Maamoul Fillings Preparation Method
Mix your choice or pistachio, walnuts, or a mix of both along with sugar in a food
processor and grind at high speed for 2-3 minutes
Add the rose water and orange blossom water and grind for a couple more minutes
Dont grind them too much as you want the filling to still have chunks of nuts, and not
turned into a paste
Molding and Baking the Maamoul
Scoop about 1 tablespoon of maamoul dough, place in the palm of your hand and flatten it
to a thickness of inch
Add about 1 heaping teaspoon of fillings to its center then bind the edges together and
close the dough on the fillings, as in the photos
Place the dough in the wooden maamoul mold, press it gently with your fingers until it
becomes even with the mold surface and add more dough to even it out if needed.
Slam the wooden molds edge on a cutting board a couple of times until the molded
maamoul drops out of it
If you dont have a traditional wooden mold, you can use a metal cookie molding/cookie
cutter to mold the dough.
Place molded maamoul on an aluminum foil or cookie tray that has been dusted with
regular flour, semolina, or even slightly buttered
Bake at 430F for 13-15 minutes, or until the maamoul begins to turn slightly
pinkish/reddish
As soon as you take them out of the oven and while still hot, place powdered sugar inside
a strainer and sift/shake on top of the maamouls to fully cover them. The powdered sugar
will eventually melt and turn a bit glazed.
Let cool down at room temperature, and then sprinkle some more powdered sugar until
fully covered
Your maamoul is now ready to be devoured. You can keep them in an airtight container
for a few days at room temperature or in the fridge.
Notes


Optional for the adventurous: If you have Acacia incense (Gum Arabic, aka Bakhoor)
handy, you can burn a bit of it in the pot that youre going use to warm the rose water for
the maamoul dough. This gives a subtle but complex traditional flavoring to the dough.