I love maamoul! They’re one of my favorite things to bake, eat and gift! I have tested lots of maamoul recipes, and I have always loved the one in the book and the one on my website, but the question is: “Do I really need another maamoul recipe to share with my readers?” If you are looking for a quick recipe that doesn’t involve long periods of dough rest, or if you’re running into issues with any other maamoul recipe, the answer then is yes, you need this recipe in your life! It is a quick and easy version, even a novice baker can easily make, they’re melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and it’s impossible to eat one without reaching for a second! What makes this the easiest maamoul is that the dough recipe uses just a few ingredients, flour, ghee, mahlab and sweetened condensed milk, yes you read that right sweetened condensed milk. Maamoul dough is often made with semolina, or a combination semolina and flour, but this recipe just calls for flour with no leavening. The maamoul cookies are just as fun to make as they are to eat.
Maamoul is the most popular short bread cookie made around Eid and Easter in Lebanon and the Middle East, it is exclusively baked and sold during these festive occasions; but we also prepare them year-round for gatherings with friends and family to satisfy our sweet cravings with a cup of coffee or tea.
The recipe is adapted from Chef Omar, an extremely passionate and immensely talented Youtuber chef whom I watched many of his cooking shows, I sort of think of his channel as my go-to for food fun videos. While he teaches you how to cook great recipes, it is entertaining to watch his enjoyable shows from start to finish with his positive humor style. Check him out if you know Arabic, he is a true inspiration. The only tweaks I made is that I added a bit more sweetened condensed milk to make the dough more malleable, and I added too mastic to the date filling!
Dates: Use fleshy, soft and moist dates like Omani, Khudri or Medjool dates, and avoid any dry type, since you are going to transform them to a soft paste.
Ghee: Ghee is the backbone in this recipe, so using the most delicious brand is crucial for successful maamoul. Not all ghee brands are equally reliable, use the best ghee you can find!
Mastic: Adds an aromatic flavor to the date filling and will take the maamoul to a whole new level.
Mahlab, or Mahleb: an aromatic white spice, used in the Middle East for baked goods.
Date Maamoul with Sweetened Condensed Milk
Description
Ingredients
Dough:
- 500 grams/ 1 lb 2 oz. / 3 3/4 cups all- purpose flour
- 250 grams/ 9 oz ghee/ 1 cup
- 200 ml / 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon mahlab
Filling:
- 500 grams/ 1 lb 2 oz dates with pits
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 2 tablespoons orange blossom flower
- 5 granules of mastic gum crushed with a pinch of sugar
- A bit more water if needed to loosen the dates
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add together the flour, ghee, mahlab and sweetened condensed milk. Use your hands to knead the mixture until everything is blended together. The mixture would first crumble, continue kneading until you have a smooth malleable dough. . Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and keep in the freezer for about 20 minutes until cold but not frozen.
- In the meantime, prepare the filling: Pull open the dates and and release the pits by hand.
- Transfer the dates to a food processor and add the ghee, orange blossom water and mastic gum, blend to get a paste. If your food processor is having a hard time making the chunks smaller and smooth, add a couple of tablespoons of water into the mix.
- Roll the date into small balls roughly the size of an apricot, if the dates are sticking to your hands rub your hands with a little oil. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 430 °F. Position the baking rack in the middle of the oven.
- Remove the dough from the freezer and knead well. The dough should pliable and easy to work with! If it is too dry, it will crack while baking, to avoid that add just a bit of sweetened condensed milk until the dough is moist enough to be easily shaped. If the cookie dough is too sticky to work with, add just a bit of flour until you reach the desired consistency. Divide it into equal balls, roughly the size of an apricot.
- Make a hole in the center of each ball, with your finger fill the hole with a date ball. Seal the hole patching the dough together and roll it into a ball.
- Transfer each stuffed ball into the mold, pressing it lightly in to level it up with the mold. A simple trick to avoid sticking the dough, is to sprinkle the mold with a pinch of fine semolina (farina). It works like magic!
- Gently tap the mold on a countertop, converting it and the maamoul will come out.
- Place it on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, repeat with the remaining dough and date, no need to keep a space between one maamoul and another, with the absence of leavening, these cookies will not rise nor spread.
- Bake about 15-20 minutes to a golden color. The bottom-side of the maamoul should be slightly browned, but not burnt, so keep an eye on your maamoul while baking. Remove from the oven and brush the top of each maamoul with some ghee, optional, but recommended!
Video
Notes
6 Comments
I would loooove the recipe for your maamoul biscuits. I enjoy them soo much, and being diabetic I can eat dates. So I use artificial sugar where necessary, but enjoy the dates’ natural sweetness.
How can I obtain the recipe. I tried ordering your book, but I am unable to do so. Why I dont know. I liive in South Africa e-mail is launad@yahoo.com
Hi Hadia, i ‘ve made these as written. The best ever mamoul i made, seriously they tasted heaven. and so easy to make. I and hubby couldn’t stop eating. A reliable recipe, just like everything you post. Thank you so much.