Authentic Ma'amoul Recipe Lebanon, Asia
JUMP TO RECIPEWe strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
These shortbread cookies popular in Levantine countries can traditionally have one of three possible fillings: date, walnut, and pistachio. For easier identification, the cookies will be shaped differently according to the filling that's hiding inside. Ones that have a date filling are round, and with a flattened top, the dome-shaped ones contain a walnut filling, whereas those filled with pistachios are shaped like elongated ovals. The dough, which contains no sugar, is made with semolina flour, ghee, and yeast, and perfumed with rose and orange blossom water. Flattened oblongs or balls of dough are then shaped and decorated using tabbeh — a traditional wooden mold used to make ma’amouls — arranged on a baking tray, and baked about 20-30 minutes, taking care not to overbake because the top of the cookie must remain pale. The nut ma’amouls are served dusted with icing sugar, while date ma’amouls, because they're already sweet as is, don’t ... Read more
Cooking tips
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dough
Traditionally, the dough for ma’amoul cookies does not contain any sugar, as all the sweetness comes from the filling. However, most recipes will include some amount of sugar, either granulated or powdered. According to purists, the dough should contain only semolina, and not a trace of flour, although most chefs argue that adding some flour improves the texture of the cookies. For example, the Jews ... Read more -
substitutons
Make substitutions if desired and where necessary. You can make these cookies only with semolina, or a combination of flour and semolina, but using only with flour. You can replace ghee with either margarine or oil and fragrant waters with either milk or water. -
method
To shape and decorate ma’amoul cookies you will need to have a traditional wooden mold tabbeh, which you can purchase online or in specialized Middle Eastern supply shops. To release the cookie from the mold, you can tap the mold on the kitchen surface, and the cookie should immediately fall out. You can also help yourself with a knife. To help with unmolding you can do any of the following: grease ... Read more -
additional flavors & fillings
Both the dough and the filling can be additionally seasoned with various spices. Mahlab and mastic are typically added to the dough, while cinnamon works well in both the walnut and the date filling. Spices such as cloves and cardamom also pair well with walnuts. -
storage & serving
These cookies can keep for up to three weeks if kept in an airtight container. Dust the nut-filled ma’amoul cookies with icing sugar and serve them with date-filled ones that don’t require additional sweetening. Pair them with either Arabic, not Turkish, coffee, or tea.
Recipe variations
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Ma'amoul
Ready in 1h 20minThe following is the traditional ma'amoul cookies recipe, adapted for widespread tastes, meaning the dough is made with a mix of semolina and wheat flour and is sweet. The ingredients and amounts for a date and walnut filling are included. You can double or halve the amounts depending on how much cookies you would like to make. Take note that if you’re using a nut filling, shape the cookies into oblongs, or into balls if you’re using a date filling. Also, you can choose whichever filling you would prefer, but in case you’d like to make ma’amouls with both fillings, you need to halve the amounts listed in the recipe.
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Traditional Lebanese Ma'amoul
Ready in 1h 20minThe following recipe is the go-to traditional Lebanese ma'amoul cookies recipe. The dough is made with only semolina, ghee butter, and yeast, seasoned with rose water, mahlab, and orange blossom water. Ingredients and measurements for each of the three typical ma'amoul fillings — date, pistachio, and walnut — are given. The recipe makes 75 cookies, 25 per each filling. You can purchase ma’amoul molds in Middle Eastern supply stores or online.
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Jewish Ma'amoul - Menena
Ready in 1h 30minAdapted from Claudia Roden’s The Book of Jewish Food, this is the recipe for Jewish ma’amouls which are made with flour only, no semolina as the case with Lebanese ma'amou. The cookies are shaped by hand and decorated with a fork or tweezers. Claudia Roden, an Egyptian-born British food writer, is known for introducing Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines to the Western world. Her most famous work, A Book of Middle Eastern Food (1968), helped popularize these cuisines through her blend of recipes and cultural history.
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Karabij Halab and Natef
Ready in 1h 45minOften referred to as Aleppo cookies, these nut-filled cookies are a more refined version of ma'amoul. In Lebanon, they will have a pistachio filling, and in Syria a walnut one. They are typically served with natif, a dip/sauce made with soapwort root. The recipe is courtesy of Anissa Helou, a cookbook author, cook, and teacher who specializes in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and North African cuisine.
Ma'amoul
PREP 1h
COOK 20min
READY IN 1h 20min
The following is the traditional ma'amoul cookies recipe, adapted for widespread tastes, meaning the dough is made with a mix of semolina and wheat flour and is sweet. The ingredients and amounts for a date and walnut filling are included. You can double or halve the amounts depending on how much cookies you would like to make. Take note that if you’re using a nut filling, shape the cookies into oblongs, or into balls if you’re using a date filling. Also, you can choose whichever filling you would prefer, but in case you’d like to make ma’amouls with both fillings, you need to halve the amounts listed in the recipe.
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH
2 cups semolina
½ cup white flour
½ cup sugar
1 tsp instant yeast
⅛ tsp salt
½ cup melted ghee, cooled but still liquid
4 tsp orange blossom or rose water, or a combination
½ cup water
DATE FILLING
13 ounces pitted dates, puréed, or date paste (aka “baking dates”)
2 tbsp water, as needed
1 tbsp orange blossom or rose water
½ tsp ground cinnamon
WALNUT FILLING
2¼ cups finely chopped walnuts
½ cup sugar
3 tbsp orange blossom water or rose water
icing sugar, for dusting
Preparation
In a large bowl sift and combine the dry ingredients, semolina, flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Pour in the ghee, flower water and water and knead with hands until you get a smooth, greasy dough. Cover and let rest for 1-3 hours. You can prepare the dough on the previous evening, and refrigerate it overnight. If you do so, before you start making the cookies, allow it to soften a bit at room temperature.
Divide the dough into 24 golf ball sized pieces. Roll them either into a ball or shape them into an oblong, depending on the filing you would use. Place them on a wax paper or a cling film and flatten them with a rolling pin to a ⅛ inch thickness.
To make the fillings, blend the ingredients in a food processor until you get a paste.
If you’re shaping the cookies by hand, do it as you would a dumpling. Place one tablespoon of the desired filling into the center of the dough, then fold up the dough and seal the edges. Form the cookies into a ball or an oblong, taking care not to tear the dough. If any tears do occur, pinch the two sides of the dough with your fingers and smooth out the surface.
If you’re using the tabbeh mold, transfer the dough to the mold and place one tablespoon of the filling into the middle. Seal the edges and flatten the bottom, then push the cookie into the mold, and remove any excess dough. Remove by tapping the mold on the table or loosen it with a knife. Alternatively, you can also either grease and flour the mold or line the mold with cling film.
Line the baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the cookies, taking care there are two inches of space between each. Bake in an oven preheated at 350 °F for 20 minutes or when the bottom of the cookies is lightly browned. Note that the top of the cookies should never turn brown, but remain pale. Serve the date ma’amouls plain and dust the walnut ma’amouls with icing sugar.
Other Variations
-
Traditional Lebanese Ma'amoul
Ready in 1h 20minThe following recipe is the go-to traditional Lebanese ma'amoul cookies recipe. The dough is made with only semolina, ghee butter, and yeast, seasoned with rose water, mahlab, and orange blossom water. Ingredients and measurements for each of the three typical ma'amoul fillings — date, pistachio, and walnut — are given. The recipe makes 75 cookies, 25 per each filling. You can purchase ma’amoul molds in Middle Eastern supply stores or online.
-
Jewish Ma'amoul - Menena
Ready in 1h 30minAdapted from Claudia Roden’s The Book of Jewish Food, this is the recipe for Jewish ma’amouls which are made with flour only, no semolina as the case with Lebanese ma'amou. The cookies are shaped by hand and decorated with a fork or tweezers. Claudia Roden, an Egyptian-born British food writer, is known for introducing Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines to the Western world. Her most famous work, A Book of Middle Eastern Food (1968), helped popularize these cuisines through her blend of recipes and cultural history.
-
Karabij Halab and Natef
Ready in 1h 45minOften referred to as Aleppo cookies, these nut-filled cookies are a more refined version of ma'amoul. In Lebanon, they will have a pistachio filling, and in Syria a walnut one. They are typically served with natif, a dip/sauce made with soapwort root. The recipe is courtesy of Anissa Helou, a cookbook author, cook, and teacher who specializes in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and North African cuisine.
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