These buttery date-filled cookies with hints of orange zest are a beloved part of holiday traditions throughout the Middle East. We left out the semolina flour typically used and whipped up three mouthwatering fillings made from dried fruits and nuts.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 20 cookies |
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound pitted soft Medjool dates
- 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- Pinch fine salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, plus 1/2 cup to 2 cups more for dusting
- Pinch fine salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), plus 2 tablespoons
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons neutral flavored oil, such as canola
- 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped (other nuts can be substituted)
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 3 tablespoons apricot jam
- Pinch fine salt
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
- 1/3 cup quince jam
- Pinch fine salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- For the date-orange filling: Puree the filling ingredients in a food processor until evenly combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and set aside. Clean the processor bowl.
- For the dough: Put the flour, baking powder, 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar and the salt in the bowl of food processor and pulse 3 to 4 times to mix. Add the butter, milk and oil, pulsing until the dough just comes together. Take care not to overwork the dough; it will be slightly wet.
- Remove the dough from the processor, and roll into 20 equally sized balls. In the palm of your hand, press and pat each ball of dough into a 2 3/4-inch round. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of each round and draw the edges up and around the filling. Pinch the dough together to make a sealed ball, and then carefully roll the cookie between your palms to make a smooth round ball. Press gently to flatten the cookie slightly, then place seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Gently prick the cookies with a fork or a wooden skewer in a decorative pattern taking care not to pierce the dough to the filling.
- Bake the cookies until firm and slightly puffed, and the tops are pale but the bottoms are just beginning to turn slightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Dust generously with confectioners’ sugar, cool and dust again.
- Puree the ingredients in a food processor until evenly combined.
- Puree the ingredients in a food processor until evenly combined.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 20 servings |
| Calories | 217 |
| Total Fat | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 32 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 19 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 12 mg |
| Sodium | 56 mg |
Reviews
You must use margarine, not butter. They will not keep and will not feel as light if you use butter. No where in ME or Africa do they use butter in this recipe, so it’s best to do it the way they do, as it is their recipe. We used a meat grinder to put all the dates through, and add orange FLOWER water to flavor it, just a very small amount, and sugar to taste, not as much as we use here in the States though. It is not a sugary sweet cookie. They are liberally sprinkled with powdered sugar just like macaroons. They keep in a plastic tub for a very very long time- and if you use butter they will not keep. The cookie should be very light, and very dry, not heavy nor moist- remember that. They should be baked in a lower heat oven, so they will be cooked and dry but NOT brown- they should almost be white.
Tasty cookies! Success upon my first attempt and I will absolutely make them again. Two notes:
1) I found that 1/4 cup of milk wasn’t enough. I eventually ended up adding another 1/4 cup — added bit by bit to monitor the effect the liquid was having on the dough. The dough shouldn’t be crumbly. Your experience may be different, so add milk judiciously.
2) These are a little like tea cookies in that they are meant to be a little dry, so it’s best to serve them with tea or coffee. They’re delicious!
1) I found that 1/4 cup of milk wasn’t enough. I eventually ended up adding another 1/4 cup — added bit by bit to monitor the effect the liquid was having on the dough. The dough shouldn’t be crumbly. Your experience may be different, so add milk judiciously.
2) These are a little like tea cookies in that they are meant to be a little dry, so it’s best to serve them with tea or coffee. They’re delicious!
Food Network removed my previous review for this recipe since they didn’t like. I will continue to give this a 1 star until they stop describing this junk as Maamoul cookies and disgracing Middle Eastern culture.
This is an excellent recipe for our traditional Egyptian “Kahk”. I was surprised to find it in the food Network. Perfect dough as is no changes. The date filling: I tried without adding ginger or orange zest and came out perfect in the food processor. Next time I will try the added flavors.
Followed the directions exactly, and were delicous!!!
Tasty, but my dough needed a lot more than a splash of milk and was still dry. Might try doing this as a bar cookie, as the filling was great.
I did a mix of the different fillings based on what I could find at my supermarket. I did 1/3 cup diced, dried dates mixed with 1/3 cup toasted walnuts and 3 tablespoons apricot jam. It came out perfectly, and I didn’t have any left over.
I also added a splash more milk to my dough, and that came out perfectly, too. The cookie is buttery and flaky, and the inside is very flavorful. I only wish I’d made more!
I also added a splash more milk to my dough, and that came out perfectly, too. The cookie is buttery and flaky, and the inside is very flavorful. I only wish I’d made more!
I used candied, uncrystalized ginger that I got at Trader Joe’s and the ginger was almost overpowering. Not sure if crystalized ginger might have been less powerful. I also used fresh orange juice instead of water since I felt the orange flavor was almost lost. The dough is a little on the dry side after it was baked. I took these to a dinner party and several people liked them. They were just a lot of work for something that I felt was nothing special.
Though the filling was a bit tricky to mix up without a food processor (I used packaged baking dates, though, which helped), this recipe was overall not horribly difficult, and the results were very rewarding — everyone I gave these to loved them! I’d double the dough in the future, though, as I had a lot of filling left over and didn’t get all that many cookies out of a batch (and the ones I did get went fast!).
This is an excellent recipe, and easy to follow. These cookies are supposed to be on the dry side, and not too sweet! I refrigerated the dough for 1 hour before stuffing it with dates. Traditional maamoul has to have a generous amount of dates in the middle, equal parts of dough and dates. We enjoyed it with a cup of cardamom coffee. Delish!!!