Ma’amoul bil Tamer (Lebanese Date Shortbread)

Name: Ma'amoul bil Tamer (Lebanese Date Shortbread)
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: makes 25
Ingredients: 3 cups fine semolina; 1 ⁄ 2 cup flour; 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled; 3 tbsp. sugar; 1 ⁄ 2 tsp. kosher salt; 1 ⁄ 3 cup whole milk; 2 1 ⁄ 2 tbsp. rose water; 2 tsp. orange blossom water; 5 cups pitted dates; 10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled; 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon; 1 1 ⁄ 2 tbsp. grated nutmeg

Serves
makes 25

SAVEUR

These Lebanese shortbread cookies feature a buttery pastry scented with rose and orange blossom waters wrapped around a cinnamon and nutmeg–spiced date filling. Though they're easy to shape by hand, it's worth seeking out a traditional ma'amoul mold to make them. The beautiful long-handled tools, known as taabehs, are intricately carved with designs that correspond to their fillings, with distinct patterns for ma'amoul filled with dates, pistachio, or walnut.

Ingredients

For the Crust

3 cups fine semolina
¹⁄₂ cup flour
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tbsp. sugar
¹⁄₂ tsp. kosher salt
¹⁄₃ cup whole milk
2 ¹⁄₂ tbsp. rose water
2 tsp. orange blossom water

For the Filling

5 cups pitted dates
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 ¹⁄₂ tbsp. grated nutmeg

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Instructions

Step 1

Make the crust: Pulse semolina, flour, butter, sugar, and salt in a food processor into pea-size crumbles. Add milk and rose and orange blossom waters; pulse until dough forms. Flatten dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap; chill 2 hours.

Step 2

Make the filling: Purée dates, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a food processor until smooth. Divide into 25 balls; chill 30 minutes.

Step 3

Heat oven to 400°. Divide dough into 25 balls. Working with 1 ball at a time, press finger into dough, creating a pocket. Place 1 ball of filling into pocket; pinch sides to encase filling and roll into a ball. Press balls into ma'amoul mold, or flatten slightly using your palm; transfer to a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 20–25 minutes; let cool before serving.

Make the crust: Pulse semolina, flour, butter, sugar, and salt in a food processor into pea-size crumbles. Add milk and rose and orange blossom waters; pulse until dough forms. Flatten dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap; chill 2 hours.
Make the filling: Purée dates, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a food processor until smooth. Divide into 25 balls; chill 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 400°. Divide dough into 25 balls. Working with 1 ball at a time, press finger into dough, creating a pocket. Place 1 ball of filling into pocket; pinch sides to encase filling and roll into a ball. Press balls into ma'amoul mold, or flatten slightly using your palm; transfer to a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 20–25 minutes; let cool before serving.