Pistachio Maamoul Cookies
Pistachio maamoul cookies are rich, buttery Middle Eastern treats filled with ground pistachios. They are soft and tender on the inside with a satisfying crunch on the outside. These cookies are a beloved staple during festive celebrations like Eid, Easter, and other special occasions.
Servings: 22 cookies
Equipment
- Maamoul mold
Ingredients
DOUGH:
- 1¼ cup fine semolina ferkha
- ¼ cup coarse semolina
- ½ cup flour plus 2 tablespoons
- ⅔ cup butter or ghee warm, melted butter
- ⅔ cup whole milk warm
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1½ tbsp. orange blossom water ma-zaher
- ¼ tsp yeast
PISTACHIO FILLING:
- 2 cups pistachio raw
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp. orange blossoms water
- 2 tbsps water add more if needed, 1 tsp at a time.
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. Be sure to cover it if you have not yet formed the date balls.
Prepare The Filling
- In a food processor, combine the pistachios, powdered sugar, orange blossom water, and water and pulse until the mixture collects and you have a dough like texture.
- Roll 2 teaspoons (about 18 grams) into small balls. You can just eye the balls and don't have to weigh or measure each one.
Assemble The Cookies
- Take a piece of the dough ball and flatten it in your palm.
- Since the shape of the pistachio mold is longer in shape, you want to squeeze the ball in your palm to adjust the shape. Add it in the center of the dough, 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.
- Line the cookies on a baking pan over parchment paper.
Bake the Cookies
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- On the middle rack, bake for 15-17 minutes until lightly golden on the side and bottom. The exact time will vary depending on your oven.
- Let it cool slightly then dust with powdered sugar. Cool completed 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.
- Don't over mix the pistachio filling. It should be grainy.
- 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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 48mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 230IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg