Ma'amoul
Date and walnut butter pastries
Melt-in-the-mouth butter pastries filled with dates, walnuts, almonds and cinnamon. Makes 35
Ma'amoul are delicate shortbread-like pastries made for Eid and Easter across the Middle East. A soft, rose-scented butter dough is wrapped around a filling of dates, walnuts, almonds and pistachios cooked with cinnamon, marked with a fork, baked pale and dusted with icing sugar. Makes 35; they keep well in a tin.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour4 cups
- 8 oz unsalted butter1 cup, diced
- ½ tsp rose essence
- 4 tbsp sugarground
- ¾ cup milkabout ¾ cup
For the filling
- 8 oz dates1⅓ cups, pitted and finely chopped
- 6 oz walnuts1 cup, finely chopped
- 4 oz blanched almonds⅔ cup, chopped
- 1 ¾ oz pistachios⅓ cup, chopped
- ½ cup water½ cup
- 4 oz granulated sugar⅔ cup
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
For the topping
- 2 tbsp icing sugarsifted
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What you'll need
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Rub 8 oz unsalted butter into 1 ⅛ lb plain flour and 4 tbsp sugar, add ½ tsp rose essence and enough ¾ cup milk to knead into a soft dough.
Step 2: Put 8 oz dates, 6 oz walnuts, 4 oz blanched almonds, 1 ¾ oz pistachios, ½ cup water, 4 oz granulated sugar and 2 tsp ground cinnamon in a pan and cook, stirring, until the dates are soft and the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Leave to cool.
10 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 350°F. Divide the dough into 35 small portions about 3 cm across.
Step 4: Roll each one into a ball and hollow it out with your thumb. Pinch the sides to make a thin cup.
Step 5: Place a spoonful of date mixture in the hollow, press the dough back over the filling to enclose it and press the edges together to seal.
Step 6: Arrange the pastries on a large baking sheet and press to flatten them slightly. Make slight dents on top with a fork.
Step 7: Bake for 15 minutes. Do not let the colour change, or they will become hard.
15 minStep 8: Cool slightly, then sprinkle with 2 tbsp icing sugar.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 460 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ma'amoul take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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