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Maamoul or Ma’amoul, (معمول بالتمر), are buttery Middle Eastern cookies that are filled with sweet date paste, and nuts like ground walnuts or ground pistachios. They are made especially during festive occasions like Eid al-Fitr, Easter, and Ramadan. Maamoul Date Filled Cookies are usually the most popular of them all.
If you love delicious Middle Eastern cookies, also try out my Pistachio Maamoul Cookies as well as my Lebanese Ghraybeh Cookies.
What are Maamoul Cookies?
Ma’amoul cookies are mouthwatering traditional Middle Eastern cookies made from semolina flour (durum wheat) and/or all-purpose flour. The cookies are made with other staple ingredients like butter/ghee, sugar and yeast. Maamoul cookies are shaped using beautifully carved wooden molds that come in different designs, to identify between the filling of the cookie.
Recipe Summary
- Authentic & Traditional: This recipe stays true to the classic Maamoul, made with semolina dough and a sweet date filling.
- Naturally Sweetened Filling: Dates provide natural sweetness to the cookies without needing extra sugar.
- Customizable: You can also make Maamoul with pistachios or walnut filling if you a want variety.
Maamoul Ingredients
- Semolina & AP Flour: Creates the tender yet slightly grainy texture of the dough. Fine durum semolina is what’s needed for this recipe.
- Ghee: Provides richness and a melt-in-your-mouth texture. You can replace this with butter if needed. If you don’t have ghee on hand, check out my post on How to Make Ghee.
- Milk: Warm milk helps bring the dough together.
- Dates: Naturally sweet and rich filling. You can either process pitted dates or buy date paste.
- Coconut: I love adding finely shredded coconut to the filling. If you are allergic, you can skip it.
- Rose water: Adds a beautiful aroma and depth of flavor to the filling.
- Yeast: A very small amount is added. It can be replaced with baking powder if you don’t have it in hand.
- Sugar: Sugar is usually added to the maamoul dough. I leave this as optional because the filling is sweet enough.
- Mahlab: Mahlab is a spice that comes from the seeds of the mahaleb cherry tree. It has a distinctive flavor and is used in many Middle Eastern pastry recipes.
*The exact measurements of all ingredients are found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to Make Maamoul
Step 1: Prepare the Maamoul Dough
Note: Start preparing the dough the night before.
Step 2: Prepare The Date Filling
Step 3: Assemble The Maamoul Cookies
- Take a piece of the dough ball and flatten it in your palm.
- Place a date ball in the center, then wrap the dough around it and seal it.
- Press into a Maamoul mold, then gently tap it out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Step 4: Bake the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Line the cookies on a baking pan over parchment paper.
- On the middle rack, bake for 13 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom.
- Turn on the broiler and broil the cookies on top until lightly golden. Keep a very close eye on them. This will only take 1-2 minutes. The exact time will vary depending on your oven.
- Let cool completely before serving.
Maamoul Recipe Tips
- Resting the dough: You must allow the semolina to rest overnight. If for any reason you can’t do this and you are desperate for same day ma’amoul, allow it to rest at least 6 hours.
- Best molds: Get a mold with deep grooves for the shape to hold. If you don’t get a perfect shape, don’t worry. Your cookies will still taste the same. Enjoy them and don’t sweat about it.
- Portions: You might have to increase or decrease the suggested portion size depending on the mold you are using.
- Do not overbake: Maamoul should be light in color and only golden on the bottom.
Maamoul Filling Variations
- Date Filling: To the date filling you can add a choice of aromatic like ground cardamon, nutmeg, cinnamon, or rose water. You can also add crushed nuts like walnuts, pecans, and finely shredded coconut. A teaspoon of ghee or butter can also be added for a rich texture.
- Pitaschios Filling: Ground/crushed pistachio filling is my family’s favorite. I only like adding a little bit of orange blossom water and powdered sugar to make the filling sweet.
- Walnut Filling: For the walnut filling, I only like to add powdered sugar and cinnamon. I feel like this combination is the best for a walnut filling. Rince walnuts with hot water before.
Storage Tips
Storing Maamoul: Let the Maamoul Cookies cool at room temperature and store them in an air-tight container. They will last at their best for 7-10 days, but up to 2 weeks. Don’t worry, they won’t last that long.
Freezing Maamoul: You can freeze maamoul however they will lose their crispiness. Store them in freezer bags or an airtight container and freeze for up to two months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Commonly Asked Questions
The Maamoul cookies are shaped in carved wood molds or plastic molds. The molds come in different shapes and patterns. Certain shapes are used for each type of Maamoul so people recognize what type of filling is inside. You can find them at most Middle Eastern grocery stores or online. 
Mahlab is a spice that comes from the seeds of the mahaleb cherry tree. It has a distinctive flavor and is used in many Middle Eastern pastry recipes.
You can shape the cookies by hand, rolling the dough into balls and pressing gently with a fork to create a pattern or use a pastry tong to create a unique design.
Maamoul is a sweet treat, so coffee and tea are the best options to serve with these delicious cookies. If you don’t like either of them, you can serve it with a cup of juice.
More Lebanese Dessert Recipes
Ma’amoul Date Filled Cookies are the perfect snack to have any day and a great addition to any celebration. So, roll up your sleeves, gather your ingredients, and get ready to enjoy a batch of these delicious Middle Eastern Cookies that will melt in your mouth and leave everyone asking for more
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Maamoul (Date Filled Cookies) (معمول بالتمر)
Equipment
- Maamoul mold
Ingredients
Maamoul Dough:
- 1¼ cup fine durum semolina, ferkha
- ½ cup all purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons
- ½ cup ghee, warm
- ⅔ cup whole milk, warm
- ½ tsp mahlab
- ¼ tsp. instant yeast
- 2 tbsps sugar, optional
Date Filling
- 13 oz (375g) date paste, or pureed pitted dates
- ¼ cup fine coconut flakes, or nut of choice like pecan or walnuts
- 1 tbsp. rose water
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, soften
Instructions
Prepare The Dough
- Prepare the night before. In a large bowl, mix the fine semolina and flour. Add the melted ghee. Rub it into the semolina mixture using your fingers or a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, until it looks like wet sand. Cover and let it rest overnight for best texture (about 12 hours).
- The next day, after resting, rub the dough again with your fingers to get a nice smooth sandy texture.
- In a cup, warm the milk and sugar until lukewarm (just about 40 seconds). When it comes out, add the yeast and mahlab and give it a quick stir.
- Pour the warm milk into the semolina mixture and gently knead until a soft dough forms. Cover and let it rest again for 30 minutes.
- When ready to form into balls, knead one last time for a few seconds and divide the dough into 22 equal portions (about 25 grams). You can just eye the size, you don't have to weigh them. You can also roll the dough into a long log and cut into 22 even pieces. Be sure to cover it if you have not yet formed the date balls.
Prepare The Filling
- In a small bowl, combine the date paste, butter, coconut, and rose water until smooth.
- Roll 1.5 teaspoon (15 grams) into small balls about the size of a gumball. You can just eye the balls and don't have to weigh or measure each one.
Assemble The Cookies
- Place a date ball in the center, then wrap the dough around it and seal it.
- Press the ball into a Maamoul mold, then gently tap it out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Line the cookies on a baking pan over parchment paper.
Bake The Cookies
- Preheat oven to 450°F.On the middle rack, bake for 13 minutes until lightly golden on the bottom.
- Turn on the broiler and broil the cookies on top until lightly golden. Keep a very close eye on them. This will only take 1-2 minutes. The exact time will vary depending on your oven.
- Let them cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Resting the dough: You must allow the semolina to rest overnight. If for any reason you can’t do this and you are desperate for same day ma’amoul, allow it to rest at least 6 hours.
- Best molds: Get a mold with deep grooves for the shape to hold. If you don’t get a perfect shape, don’t worry. Your cookies will still taste the same. Enjoy them and don’t sweat about it.
- Type of semolina: Every brand of semolina is different. If the dough is stiff, add one tablespoon of milk at a time to make it a little softer.
- Portions: You might have to increase or decrease the suggested portion size depending on the mold you are using.
- Do not overbake—Maamoul should be light in color and only golden on the bottom.
3 cups of semolina and 1 cup of flour with all the wet ingredients – I am left with a very wet batter. Nothing like a dough.
I am not sure what went wrong.The dough is usually stiff. Either way, I have updated this blog to replect more step by step instructions and photos and a smaller portion from the one we had before. Please check it out.
Do you make the date purée and how? Thanks.
I buy it ready made but you can blend pitted dates in a food processor to pure it.
Where are the pistachios? Maybe I’ll add some ground pistachios to the filling ingredients instead of the coconut. But the coconut date filling sounds really good as well.
Hi Sara
I have them in another post on my blog. Search for pistachio Maamoul cookies or you can find them under the dessert section.
Hi where did you get your wooden cookie mold from? Love the design of yours!
Hi Sucheta!
I randomly find them at the middle eastern grocery stores and buy them.