Ma’amoul

Ma’amoul are the molded shortbread cookies that mark every Jordanian holiday, their fluted domes filled with dates, walnuts, or pistachios. They are the traditional treat of Easter and Eid, when families gather to roll, press, and fill dozens of cookies together. The carved wooden molds give each cookie its delicate pattern, and a dusting of powdered sugar finishes them like snow.

Melting shortbread with a sweet, spiced heart

The dough is enriched with butter and a splash of rosewater, so it crumbles delicately around a filling of sticky dates scented with cinnamon, or walnuts sweetened with syrup. The cookies are crisp on the outside and tender within, and the pattern from the mold makes them look like little works of art. They keep for weeks in a tin, which is fortunate, because they are made in the hundreds and eaten in the dozens. Serve them with Arabic coffee and watch them disappear.

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