These traditional Lebanese maamoul cookies are filled with a sweet pistachio filling and the perfect treat during Eid El-Fitr at the end of Ramadan. Easy to make, the dough comes together in less than 15 minutes. These molded filled cookies are deliciously sweet and make for a wonderful dessert or snack to enjoy with your family.
These cookies are one of my all time favorite treats! My Pistachio Maamoul Cookies (معمول بالفستق) are another version of Maamoul Date Cookies served in the Middle East. They are extremely delicious and served during many occasions including Eid El-Fitr at the end of Ramadan.
Serve them as a dessert or snack that the whole family will love! They can be prepped and made ahead of the time and be sure to make a double batch for the freezer!
What are maamoul cookies (معمول بالفستق)?
Maamoul is usually the general term of this type of cookie. It is filled with either Dates, Pistachios, Walnuts, Pecans and even some people fill them with dried fruits like figs. But my favorites are the Date and Pistachio filled Maamouls.
Pistachio Maamouls are a little different than Date Maamouls. They are are filled with ground Pistachio and powdered with confectioner sugar after baking. They are served in homes through out the year and most famous during religious holidays.
How To Make The Maamoul Cookies
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Place all of the dough ingredients into a bowl and knead it with your hands or in a stand mixer. Mix until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- Let the dough rest for 2 hours or overnight.
- After 2 hours, roll the dough into balls and cover them until you are ready to make the cookies
- Make the filling by combining all of the ingredients in a food processor.
- Place a piece of the dough into the cookie mold and add a teaspoon of the filling.
- Wrap the dough around to cover the filling.
- Press the dough into the mold and tap it on the counter so that it falls out.
- Place the molded cookies onto a baking sheet with parchment.
- Spray with oil and bake in the pre heated oven.
- Let the cookies cool and then dust with confectioners’ sugar to serve.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Let the dough rest for at least two hours before shaping the cookies. This will make it easier to handle and form. You can also leave the dough covered overnight in the fridge.
- Don’t over mix the pistachio filling. It should be grainy. You can make the mixture a day ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge until you are ready to make the cookies.
- Bake the cookies in a pre heated oven. This will help them to cook evenly all the way through. Bake them on parchment paper so that they don’t stick.
- Let the cookies cool completely before dusting them with sugar and serving.
Frequently asked questions
How are the cookies shaped?
The cookies are made in molds that come in different shapes and patterns. You can find them at most Middles Eastern grocery stores or even online. Certain shapes are used for each of the types of Maamoul so people recognize what type of filling is inside. The patterns on them can be different.
The Pistachio Maamouls have a long shape unlike the round shape of the Date Maamouls. I like that wooden ones with deeper engravings on them so that the pattern comes out clear after you press it down to form it’s shape.
How long do they keep?
Once the cookies have cooled, store them in air tight container. They will last at their best for 1 week at least either at room temperature or in the fridge. This recipe makes enough for 30 cookies and they have a relatively long shelf life so nothing will go to waste!
Can you freeze them?
These cookies freeze really well, so I implore you to make a double batch! Wrap the cooled cookies individually in plastic wrap or foil without dusting with sugar, and place in a freeze bag or freezer safe container. Thaw them at room temperature and if you like, you can heat them in a warm oven for that freshly baked cookie taste.
More Middle Eastern Desserts:
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Pistachio Maamoul Cookies
Equipment
- Maamoul mold
Ingredients
DOUGH:
- 3 cups coarse semolina
- 2 cups fine semolina ferkha
- 1 cup flour
- 1.5 cup butter (melted)
- 1/2 cup warm milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tbsps. orange blossoms water ma-zaher
- 2 tsps. baking powder
PISTACHIO FILLING:
- 2 cups of ground raw pistachios
- 1/2 cup confectioner sugar
- 1 tbsp. orange blossoms water
OTHERS:
- Oil Spray
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and knead very well with your hand. You can also use a cake stand mixer, using a flat cake attachment or dough attachment. Mix slowly until they are well incorporated together. Cover and let the dough rest for 2 hours. While you wait for the dough to rest, prepare the filling by mixing the ingredients together.
- Once the time is up, form the dough into ball portions and cover them to prevent drying.
- Press a piece of the dough into a flat shape, then add a tablespoon of pistachio filling in the middle and wrap the dough around it to cover the filling completely.
- Press the ball shaped dough well into the mold and the tap the mold on the counter so it falls out.
- Once that part is done, lay the pieces on a sheet pan with parchment paper or a non-stick pan until you finish the rest of the balls.
- Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool on room temperature.
- Dust with sugar and store in an air tight container.
Notes
- Let the dough rest for at least two hours before shaping the cookies. This will make it easier to handle and form. You can also leave the dough covered overnight in the fridge.
- Don't over mix the pistachio filling. It should be grainy. You can make the mixture a day ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge until you are ready to make the cookies.
- Bake the maamoul cookies in a pre heated oven. This will help them to cook evenly all the way through. Bake them on parchment paper so that they don't stick.
- Let the cookies cool completely before dusting them with sugar and serving.
Hi Mariam,
Thank you for sharing these recipes. I made both the date and pistachios ones last night.
I respected the ratio for the ingredients and let the dough in the fridge for 2 hours but found it quite tough. What would you advise ?
I only made 1 batch of dough which was enough to make about 80 cookies with both filling using smaller ma’amoul molds.
I halved the ingredients for the fillings and still had plenty. Again, this might be because I am using smaller molds.
The pistachios filling was very dry as there is only 1 tbsp of orange blossom water for the amount of dry ingredients so I mixed it with honey which allowed me to shape small balls and added extra flavour.
I made my own date purée, by steaming the dates for 20 min and blending them with butter. It was quite easy and delicious. Next time, I will integrate a bit more butter to thin it out a bit.
All in all, I was quite happy with the results and they were quite delicious with tea or coffee
Any insights to this would be greatly appreciated
Cheers
Magali
Hi there,
I just wanted to ask if it’s ok to use normal water rather than the orange blossom water??
Hello , What is the yield of this recipe, how many cookies come out of this ?
Hi,
It all depends on your mold and how you end up portioning it. But this recipe should make you about 24 date Maamoul piece or about 32 or more pistachio ones
Hi – Thank you for the lovely recipe!! I am wondering if I were to use all purpose flour. can I substitute semolina with All purpose and use wheat flour for coarse semolina?
Also, where do you find orange blossoms water? If I cannot find it, what other suggestions?
Hi Michelle,
No they are not the same texture. You can find them all on amazon including the orange blossoms water. Also if you type middle eastern stores near be on google, you will find the store near you that carry them and they are much cheaper than amazon.
Excited to try this recipe! I’ve researched many Maamoul recipes and I’ve chosen this one as my favourite!
However I am wondering how there is no yeast used in this one?
Does it make much of a difference?
Hi Nawal!
I am not sure to be honest, I think it just rises more I believe with the yeast. I have never tried using yeast with it. I like the cookie, crispy texture instead of bready texture that why I use baking powder. I wish I can help you more with that!
Thank you for the reply!
I like cookies crispy instead of bready too!
It was just out of curiosity! Excited to try the recipe!
Hello, I only have one kinf of semolina and I think is fine semolina, is that ok if I use 5 cups of that one, would it make any difference?
Hi Gabriela,
Yes just use that it is fine. You might just need a tiny bit more water to get the right consistency. Use your judgment.
Good day,I’m excited to try your recipe! Unfortunately, I only have access to medium sized semolina (or semolina #2), what substitute do you suggest for the recipe?
Here are some of my ideas:
A) Use all medium semolina (5 cups)
B) Try processing 2 cups in a food processor to make fine semolina
C) Use 4 cups medium semolina and increase flour by 1 cup
Please advise on which of these you suggest, or if you have any other suggestions. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Angela,
Isn’t the semolina #2 the coarse semolina? that’s what you need 3 cups of. You can try putting them in the blender and blend as much as you can to make the 2 cups of fine semolina.
What can we use instead of orange blossom water. Can we use rosewater?
Yes thats fine if you only have that.
Hi so your recipe says 1.5 cups of butter is that measured out then melted or do u mean 1.5 of melted because the measurements are different before and after its melted. I’m asking because I found my dough to be very buttery like ny hands were very greasy. Thanks
Hi Shaima
It’s supposed to be room temperature not melted. You can always reduce the amount of butter if you feel it’s too greasy for you.
Thanks Mariam, very kind of you. Lucky for me my husband found some so this weekend I’ll be giving your recipe a try… can’t wait, they look so yummy!
I don’t have access to semolina flour, can I substitute with any another tope of flour? Maybe bread flour?
Hi Cristina!
Sorry for the late reply. It cannot be replaced for this exact recipe. Bobs Red Mill carries it and I have seen it at almost all the health food stores and even normal grocery stores around. But there might be a recipe out there without semolina. Some people only use flour but the measurements will be different for sure. I can look around the net for you and see if I can find one with just flour and get back with you.
Hi! I was wondering if it’s normal for the dough to be kind of hard when it comes out of the fridge (overnight)? Like I definitely have to wait till it thaws to do anything with it :/
Hi Sahar!
This dough will not required refrigerator overnight. Just let it sit outside for 1-2 hours if you have time before filling.
I left it overnight as well. You mentioned that in the recipe above – either 2 hours or fridge overnight. Now it’s really dry and hard to form cookies:(
Kate,
If you overnight it in the fridge, you have to wait for it to soften up. That’s a must. I break mine up so it softens faster. It’s normal for the dough to get hard in the fridge. You can also leave it at a cool room temperature as well.
Delicious 😋
Delicious 😋
How many cups of confectioners sugar?
1/2 CUP for dusting.
Did you use salted or unsalted butter?
Hi. Unsalted butter would be great.