my comfort recipes
♥ Log in Sign up
  • en
  • fr
  • es
  • pt
  • de
  • it
  • nl
    • 🌍 World Kitchen
    🌍 World Kitchen
    Log in Sign up
    Home / Dessert / Mabroom

    Mabroom

    Sweet date paste rolled into golden pastry fingers and bathed in rosewater syrup — the Gulf’s beloved Eid sweet.

    ⏱ 30 minPrep time
    🔥 25 minCook time
    🍽 8Servings
    🏷 DessertCategory
    ☆☆☆☆☆No ratings yet
    Mabroom

    Mabroom is a date lover’s dream: pure date paste wrapped in a soft, sweet dough, shaped into elegant fingers, and fried until golden before a quick soak in rosewater syrup. It is a Gulf specialty served at Eid and weddings, where trays of the glistening golden fingers are passed around with coffee. The name means braided, a nod to the rope-like shape of the pastries. Unlike many sweets, it is not overly sugary — the dates do the work and the syrup just glazes them.

    Dates, dressed for a party

    The dough is tender and slightly crisp at the edges, while the date center stays soft and chewy, tasting intensely of caramel and earth. The rosewater syrup adds a floral sweetness that lifts the whole thing, and a sesame sprinkle gives it a gentle crunch. Serve them warm or at room temperature with Arabic coffee, and watch them vanish. The contrast of crisp edge and chewy center is what keeps people reaching for one more.

    Craving more? Explore all Gulf / Saudi Kitchen recipes.

    Gulf / Saudi recipes →

    Step by stepInstructions

    1. Mix the flour, semolina, salt, and cardamom, then rub in the melted ghee until crumbly.
    2. Add the warm water gradually and knead into a soft, pliable dough. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
    3. Make the syrup: simmer the sugar and 1 cup water for 8 minutes, then add the rosewater and lemon juice and set aside to cool slightly.
    4. Roll the date paste into thin logs, about 1/2 inch thick.
    5. Divide the dough into 18 pieces and roll each into a small oval. Wrap each piece around a date log and roll into a smooth finger shape, sealing the ends.
    6. Heat 1 inch of oil to 350°F and fry the fingers in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning often. (Or brush with oil and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes.)
    7. Drop the hot fingers into the warm syrup and let them soak 2 minutes.
    8. Lift out, arrange on a platter, and serve warm or at room temperature.

    💡 Chef tips & storage

    The syrup should be warm, not boiling, when the hot fingers go in — boiling syrup makes them soggy. Fried mabroom is traditional, but baked is lighter and almost as good.

    Rate this recipe

    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
    ☆☆☆☆☆No ratings yet
    Sign in to rate this recipe.

    Recipe details

    Prep30 min
    Cook25 min
    Servings8
    CategoryDessert
    PublishedAugust 17, 2026
    Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

    Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

    Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

    Keep browsingYou might also like

    View all recipes →