Date Cookies – Ma’amoul Shortbread Cookies

These Date Cookies – Ma’amoul Shortbread Cookies are a staple in our home during any time of the year, especially during the holiday season! They are filled with soft date paste and buttery semolina shortbread cookie dough that’s flavored with rose water. I love this recipe so much, because it’s super soft from the inside and crumbly from the outside, and they just melt in your mouth. They pair well with a cup of tea or coffee!

this RECIPE!

These Middle Eastern date-filled sugar cookies can be shaped by hand or with a cookie mold. This recipe is very close to my favorite cookie called Ghorayeba, they are made almost the same way but Ghorayeba doesn’t include semolina and filling inside. This cookie is a combination of both of my favorite cookies put together! They can be filled with either dried fruits like dates and figs, or different types of nuts such as pistachios, walnuts, or sometimes almonds and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Your house will smell lovely once you bake these up! Normally, our family makes these cookies during the holidays, but these cookies are so delicious we make them for any occasion!

This shortbread cookie is traditionally very popular in the Middle East and across the Mediterranean! This cookie is loved by so many and has been created in many different ways. Its buttery shortbread cookie dough is so delicious I combined my great-grandmother’s shortbread cookie recipe called Ghorayeba and added a few things from my side which I’ll explain down below! Our family usually serves these cookies during the holidays and Easter! Ma’amoul in Arabic means “filled” which represents this cookie so well! This buttery cookie is irresistible, because of its flavorful rose-filling flavoring and pure deliciousness!

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IN THIS POST: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT DATE COOKIES

• A LITTLE BACKSTORY TO THIS COOKIE
• 🍴INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE THESE DATE COOKIES
• STEPS TO MAKE THESE DATE COOKIES
• PREFER TO WATCH STEP-BY-STEP RECIPE VIDEO INSTEAD OF READING?
• JUMP TO RECIPE CARD

A little backstory to this cookie…

This recipe brings me back some great memories of my great-grandmother (Nene Jan) and her Ghorayeba cookies. Ghorayeba is a shortbread cookie that doesn’t have any filling – it’s soft, buttery, crumbly, and it’s coated with white powdered sugar. I took my great-grandmother’s Ghorayeba recipe and combined it with my Ma’amoul recipe made a few adjustments, and made this one my own!

Remembering back when I asked my nene at the age of 6 to write down her Ghorayeba recipe for me, I can still remember it like it was yesterday! Watching her write it down on a small index card with her thick reading glasses at the age of 94. Oh, how I miss her so much! When we would go to visit my Nene, she would always ask my mother if I was coming along with her so she could make a fresh batch before we arrived!

Once I arrived, I remember walking towards her apartment, it had long empty hallways to reach her door. As we walked towards her apartment, I would see her tiny little head with her thick blurry prescription glasses on waiting impatiently as we walked towards her door. She couldn’t see very well even with her thick glasses. As soon as we saw her standing there at her door, we would have to shout out “Parev Nene Jan” which translates to “Hello Sweet Grandma”. You would then see her cutest little smile from ear to ear! She would smell up the entire hallway with her freshly baked rose water cookies! She would accent them with a fresh clove on top! I plan to post the Ghorayeba recipe very soon!

If you would like to see a video on the Ma’amoul cookies we have one on our YouTube channel.

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🍴INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE THESE DATE COOKIES

Here is a preview of the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe! You can find these at your local grocery store or you can shop online (detailed ingredients in Recipe Card down below)

(Makes approximately 24 cookies)

Cookie Ingredients

• Unsalted Butter
• Large Eggs – room temperature
• Semolina
• All-Purpose Flour
• Powdered Sugar
• Baking Powder
• Whole Milk – warmed milk
• Rose Water
• Ground Cloves

Filling Ingredients

• Date Paste – warmed/softened
• Rose Water
• Unsalted Butter or Ghee – chilled

We have another great Ma’amoul recipe filled with Pistachio filling you can check out! Ma’amoul can also be filled with different types of dried fruits or nuts such as…

Walnuts, Pistachios, Figs also, Apricots

MY OTHER VIDEOS…

If you plan on making the filling with walnuts check out my Walnut Roll Pastry it has a great walnut filling you can use for this recipe as well!

HOW LONG CAN MA’AMOUL LAST UP TO?

These cookies don’t last very long in our home because they’re so good! But, I know they can last up to 2 weeks in a well-sealed air-tight container at room temperature.

STEPS TO MAKE THESE DATE COOKIES

Step 1: Preheat oven to 300° F.

Step 2: Prepping Dough – Add one whole egg and one egg white into a medium-sized bowl and whisk. Add rose water, melted butter, and warm milk and combine. Add cloves, powdered sugar, baking powder, and semolina and combine.

Step 3: Gradually add one cup of flour at a time, until you reach a soft dough. Knead your dough for 3-5 minutes by hand (don’t over-knead your dough or else your cookie will become too tough). Place a plastic wrap seal over your bowl and place it into the fridge for 1 hour.

Step 4: Prepping Filling – Meanwhile, start your date-filling by placing date paste into the microwave for a few seconds (don’t overheat) or in a saucepan on low fire just until it softens up. Once softened, pull apart your date paste into smaller pieces and place it into a bowl. Add slightly chilled cut pieces of butter and rose water to your date paste, and combine until it becomes smooth and not too sticky.

Step 5: Forming Cookies – On a floured surface, cut your dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each piece into a ball place it back into the bowl and cover it again with plastic wrap. Start to knead your dough to slightly soften it with the warmth of your hands (don’t over-knead). Roll out your dough about 12″ – 13″ long. Trim the edges with a knife to form your dough into a 12″ – 13″ L. x 3″ W dough and keep extra dough scraps for another roll.

Step 6: Baking Instructions – Take a hand full of date paste and start to roll about 12″ – 13″ long. With the palm of your hands roll into a log shape. Place the date paste log in the center of your dough and fold over one side of your dough to cover the date paste. Cut the log into 2″ cookies cut diagonally, make a pattern on top if you like by lightly making slits with your knife over the top. Cut them on an angle as shown in the photo below and place them on a silicone-lined baking sheet. Continue and repeat these steps for the remaining dough and date paste. You should make approximately 24 cookies in total. Place plastic wrap over the top lightly and place into the fridge for 15 minutes to allow the dough to firm up before baking.

Step 7: Lastly, place cookies in a pre-heated 300° F. oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until you see a light brown underneath and around the edges. Remove from oven place in a cool area and allow them to completely cool off before sprinkling powdered sugar over them and enjoy!

PREFER TO WATCH STEP-BY-STEP RECIPE VIDEO INSTEAD OF READING?

Have any questions about this recipe or have you tried making our recipe yet? If so, we would LOVE to hear how it turned out! You can post, tag, rate, and comment down below and on Instagram! 👇 Thank you in advance! 

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RECIPE CARD

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