(Source: wanderinspice.com recipe and photos and recipe by Yasmeen and gulfnews.com and world travel guide.net and Salim Heneine video and Jay Fares video and Cinnamon and Sugar and•••video)
•••••EASTER COOKIES (MA’AMOUL) LEBANON🇱🇧!!
••••CELEBRATION CONTINUES🇱🇧!!
900g coarse semolina
250g fine semolina
450g good quality butter at room temperature
125ml rosewater (maward)
30ml orange blossom water (mazaher)
1/2 cup milk
Date paste (or alternative fillings listed above)
Using your hands, knead the coarse and fine semolinas together with the butter until combined.
Gradually add the rosewater, then the orange blossom water, kneading until well incorporated. Knead for 30 minutes (I did this by hand, as the dough was too crumby to come together in my mixer). Wrap in plastic wrap, and rest 12 hours or overnight.
After resting, knead the dough one more time, this time wetting your fingertips with the milk and kneading through to moisten the dough until all the milk has been added.
Preheat oven to 220C / 425 F.
Fold a tea towel in half, then half again (to absorb the impact of removing the cookie from the mold).
Hold the dough in your palm, and make a hole in the center, pressing the "sides" out to even thickness. Place the date paste in the center and close the dough around it.
Continue until all dough is used.
••••ENJOY THE VIDEO!!
Continue until all cookies are formed, then place on a lined baking sheet, and bake 15-20 minutes until very light golden brown (too brown and they’ll dry out).
Perfect served alongside a strong Arabic coffee
