Description
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!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Cookie Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted Unsalted Butter or Ghee
- 1 Large Egg + 1 Egg White – room temperature
- 1/3 cup Semolina
- 2 cups + 3 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/4 cup Whole Milk – warm milk
- 2 tablespoons Rose Water
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cloves
Filling Ingredients
- 14 oz (1 block) Date Paste – warmed/softened
- 4 tablespoons Rose Water
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter or Ghee – chilled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
Notes
- Other Fillings you can switch the date paste with are – Walnuts, Pistachios, Figs, or Apricots.
*** Our Nutrition information is estimated, so please make sure to check your own calculation to fit your diet.
- Prep Time: 50
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keywords: Ma'amoul cookies, shortbread cookies, buttery cookies, date filled cookies, Middle Eastern Cookies, Ghorayeba
