Maamoul

Step by stepInstructions

1. Make the filling: chop the dates and cook them in a small saucepan with the 1 tablespoon butter, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons water over low heat, mashing until soft and paste-like, about 5 minutes. Cool completely.
2. Make the dough: stir the semolina, flour, and salt together. Rub in the melted ghee until the mixture feels like damp sand, then cover and rest 30 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the orange blossom water and milk over the dough and knead until it comes together into a soft, pliable dough.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pinch off walnut-size pieces of dough, flatten each into a disc, and cup it in your palm. Place a small ball of date filling in the center, close the dough around it, and roll smooth.
5. Press each ball into a maamoul mold, then tap it out onto a baking sheet. Or flatten slightly and press a fork in a crosshatch pattern.
6. Bake until the bottoms are just lightly golden, 15 to 18 minutes — do not let them brown.
7. Cool completely, then dust generously with powdered sugar.