Maamoul Dough

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This base maamoul dough recipe creates traditional Middle Eastern semolina cookies perfect for any type of filling.

Prep Time8 15

Cook Time19

Resting1

Total Time9 34

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: cookies (or 15)

Calories: 129kcal

Author: Janelle Hama

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1 cup Coarse semolina
¼ cup Fine semolina
⅛ cup White sugar
¼ teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Mahlab optional but highly recommended

Wet Ingredients

½ cup Butter Softened. I used dairy free. See above notes about this.
½ teaspoon Orange blossom water
½ teaspoon Rose water
1 tablespoon Milk I used almond milk

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients until evenly distributed.
Add the wet ingredients. Gently bring the mixture together with your hands until a soft dough forms. It should feel slightly sandy but hold its shape when squeezed.
Shape the dough into a ball, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight to allow the semolina to fully hydrate. Remove from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before shaping so it softens slightly. If it is a hot day, work with the dough from the fridge.
1 cup Coarse semolina, ¼ cup Fine semolina, ½ cup Butter, ⅛ cup White sugar, ¼ teaspoon Baking powder, ½ teaspoon Mahlab, ½ teaspoon Orange blossom water, ½ teaspoon Rose water, 1 tablespoon Milk
Divide the dough into 10, 15 or however many equal portions and roll each one into a ball. The size of your dough ball is dependant on the size of your maamoul mold. See above for the sizes I use.
Working with floured hands, flatten one dough portion into a small round disk. Place a portion of your desired filling (see note below) in the centre and gently fold the dough up and around it, sealing completely. Roll lightly between your palms to a smooth ball.
Dip the maamoul ball into flour and shake out any excess. Place the filled dough ball inside the mold, smooth side down, and use your palm to press evenly to imprint the pattern.
Turn the mold over and tap it firmly against a hard surface to release the shaped cookie into your hand. Transfer to a parchment lined baking tray.
Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Bake in a preheated 180°C / 356°F fan-forced oven for 17-19 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden while the tops remain pale.

Video

Notes

This maamoul dough can be used with your desired filling, the different varieties have been linked at the beginning of the above article.

US tablespoons and cups have been used in this recipe: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 15 ml; 1 cup equals 240 ml

Nutrition