All posts in category Biscotti, macaroons and cookies

gevulde speculaas (Dutch spice cookies filled with almond paste)

Blog-checking lines: Francijn of Koken in de Brouwerij was our January 2013 Daring Bakers’ Hostess and she challenged us to make the traditional Dutch pastry, Gevulde Speculaas from scratch! That includes making our own spice mix, almond paste and dough! Delicious!

The first thing I check when reading a recipe for the first time is the spice blend that gives it character. There is something I find irresistible about mixing different spices in different proportions, feeling, smelling, tasting to make sure you get the perfect balance. So when this month’s challenge was announced I could not wait to make gevulde speculaas. Gevulde speculaas if you are not familiar with them are Dutch spice cookies filled with almond paste. Not only do these cookies look elegant but they are loaded with flavor. Biting into a slice of gevulde speculaas you will first get the buttery crust and topping. The texture is like that of a really dense cake or chewy cookie but the real pleasure is the explosion of warm spices in your mouth. Next comes a change of texture and flavor, a soft almond paste scented with lemon zest providing beautiful contrast to the crust, taking the edge off the spices and providing that perfect balance.

Speculaas spices

“speculaaskruiden” (speculaas spices) should always contain cinnamon, cloves, mace and ginger. You can also add any or all of these spices to taste: pepper, cardamom, coriander, anise seeds and nutmeg. The smell of speculaaskruiden is enchanting, especially if you take the trouble to mix them yourself. The delicious aroma of that blend of warm spices is perfectly suited for the cold winter months.

The longer you allow the spices time to permeate the dough, the better the out come. It is said that bakers sometimes make the dough up to three months in advance.

From the golden age onward, this spice mixture was used to bake a crisp, buttery biscuit: speculaas. For centuries it remained a luxury item, baked only in the holiday season, and often given as a present. In the course of time many recipes were created using speculaas spices. Speculaasjes (“speculaas cookies / windmill cookies”) which are shaped using a wooden mold, speculaasbrokken (“speculaas chunks”), kruidnoten (“spiced nuts / miniature spiced cookies”), gevulde speculaas (“speculaas stuffed with almond paste”). And it does not stop there: speculaas spices can be used in custards, cakes, muffins, bread toppings, cheesecake crusts and so on.

Speculaas Spices Recipe

You can buy the speculaas spices but making your own gives you a chance to smell and taste the different ingredients and adjust the proportions to your own taste and liking.The general rule you have to stick to is

Mandatory:

cinnamon 40 to 60 % of the total amount

ground cloves 1 or 2 parts

mace ½ or 1 part

ginger ½ or 1 part

Optional:

white pepper ½ or 1 part

cardamom ½ or 1 part

coriander ½ or 1 part

anise ½ or 1 part

nutmeg 1 or 2 parts

The spice mix I used was

1 teaspoons of ground cloves,

½ teaspoon of nutmeg

1 teaspoon of ginger.

1 teaspoon of cardamom

1 teaspoon of coriander

1 teaspoon of anise

Measure or weigh the amount of spices you have now, and add an equal amount of cinnamon.

Almond Paste recipe

You can use store bought almond paste but homemade almond paste tastes better.

Ingredients:

7/8 cup (210 ml)(125 gm)(4½ oz) raw almonds (or 1-1/3 cups (320 ml)(125 gm) (4½ oz) ground almonds)

5/8 cup (150 ml) (125 grams) (4½ oz) granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) lemon zest

Directions:

If the raw almonds still have their brown skins, remove them as follows.

Bring water to a boil, add the almonds, cook them for one minute, drain immediately and let cool for a few minutes. Rub them between your fingers to remove the skins.

Grind the almonds for one or two minutes in a food processor, until you see nothing but very small pieces. (Or skip this step if you use ground almonds.)

Add the sugar, and grind for another one or two minutes. It must be very fine after this step.

Add the egg and let the food processor combine it

Store the almond paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Safty notes

Although the flavor gets better as days pass by, it is not wise to store the paste for too long, as it contains a raw egg. For the same reason you should not eat the paste unbaked.

To be safe, you could choose one of these options: use egg powder and water to replace the egg (follow instructions with the powder) use 50 ml of an other liquid, like lemon juice (in that case, leave the zest out) add the egg just before you are going to bake the pastry

The paste can also be kept in the freezer.

Speculaas Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

1¾ cups (250 gm) (9 oz) all purpose (plain) flour

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking powder

¾ cup (150 grams) (5-1/3 oz) brown sugar, firmly packed

a pinch salt

2 tablespoons (30 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) speculaas spices

3/4 cup (1½ stick) (175 gm) (6 oz) unsalted butter

Directions:

Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and spices in a bowl.

Cut the butter into cubes and add to the dry ingredient.

Knead until you get a smooth dough. You may need to add a little milk if the dough is too dry.

Wrap in clingfoil and put in the refrigerator for two hours.

If you wish to get more flavor it would be better to keep the dough in the fridge for a couple of days

Assembling and baking the Gevulde Speculaas

Ingredients:

speculaas dough

almond paste

whole almonds without skins for decoration

1 large egg

shallow baking pan, 8×10 inch (20×26 cm) or, round with of diameter 10 inch (26 cm)

Directions:

1. Grease your pan or line it with parchment.

2. Preheat the oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas 4

3. Divide the dough in half into two parts.

4. Roll out both portions on a lightly floured surface, until they are the size of your baking pan.

5. Place one of the layers in the pan and press it lightly to make sure it fills the bottom.

6. Lightly beat the egg with a teaspoon cold water.(I used 1 teaspoon of vinegar with 2 teaspoons of water to avoid eggy smell)

7. Brush 1/3 of the egg over the dough in the pan.

8. Roll out the almond paste between two sheets of clingfoil, until it is exactly as big as the pan, and gently transfer it to place it over the dough in the pan. (If you chose to make the paste soft, you can smear the paste instead of rolling it.)

9. Press the paste lightly down to fit in the pan and to makw sure it adheres to the dough beneath it.

10.Brush the next 1/3 of the egg over it.

11. Place the second layer of dough on top of the paste, press it lightly, and make as smooth as possible.

12. Smear the last 1/3 of the egg over the dough.

If you choose to cut the speculaas into squares or diamond shapes, score the dough with a knief before baking, that can help you with the decoration

13. Decorate the pastry with the almonds.(You can decorate the speculaas any way you like, you can use the almonds to draw patterns or flowers or trees. This is also the place to allow kids to help)

14. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

15. Let cool completely in the pan, then cut it in portions as you like.

16. If you wrap the stuffed speculaas in clingfoil, after it has cooled completely, you can store it a few days at room temperature. Freezing is possible, but fresh speculaas tastes better.

Notes about making Gevulde speculaas:

You can choose to make this recipe in one day. But to enjoy the full flavor you should make the dough a few days and allow the spices to permiate the dough. Because of the egg in the almond paste recipe you need to work hygienically and store it in the fridge for no more than 2 days or you can make the paste without the egg and store it in the fridge and then add the egg right before baking. Another option would be to replace the egg with another liquid like lemon juice or use powdered eggs (the ones you mix with water to reconstitute)

Storage & Freezing Instructions/Tips:

Speculaas spices: store them airtight, dry and dark, and they will not spoil for a long time. Almond paste: keep it in the refrigerator. Some people keep it there for months, but if it contains raw egg, I recommend not more than a few days. Can easily be frozen. Speculaas dough: can be kept in the refrigerator for days, or in the freezer for months. But remember: fresh tastes better.

Stuffed speculaas: if you let it cool completely, you can wrap it in clingfoil and keep it a few days at room temperature. And again: freezing is possible, but fresh is better

Thank you Francijn for a wonderful challenge.

2012 Cookie recipe roundup

chef in disguise:cookie recipe round up

You are wearing dark colors covered with white flour despite a million mental notes to avoid black while baking. A cloud of spices fills the house. Warmth is radiating from the oven. The kitchen counters are topped with baked cookies.The kids are sneaking in to snatch a cookie or two and you pretend you don’t see them but smile anyway.

You finally manage to clean everything up and set down for a cup of tea and a sample of your baked goodies (quality assurance is essential). Making a mental list of friends and family who you want to share your homemade cookies with.

Your table top is covered with ribbons and wrapped cookies and half written labels. All you can think of is what would mom think of these or what would your kids teacher think of those and in the back of your mind you picture a certain someone’s face when they see you have perfected the cookie they refused to give you the recipe for last year

The joys of baking cookies.

I thought I would put together a round up of my favorite cookie recipes for you. Maybe one would inspire you to try something new.

Mum’s persian cookies: cinnamon almond date cookies

If you’re a fan of cinnamon like yours truly, these cookies are for you. The combination of almonds, cinnamon and dates is hard to beat. These particular cookies are soft and chewy with the crunch from the almonds, the sweetness of the dates playing on a background of fragrant cinnamon.

Oats and date ranger cookies

Just the right amount of sweetness, crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside. The texture is really interesting with the oats and coconut, it provides a new twist on oatmeal cookies and stopping at just one is nearly impossible.

Swirl date cookies

These cookies are crunchy, not too sweet, easy to make, they can last for a long time (if you can keep your hands off them) and they make for a wonderful gift for the vegan friends in your list

Checkerboard cookies step by step

A blend of vanilla and chocolate dough formed into these amazing elegant little squares. The technique seemed intimidating at the first look but if you follow the step by step instructions they are really easy to make. They are rich and buttery, the hint of almonds in the chocolate adds a depth of flavor and the combination of vanilla and chocolate is just DELICIOUS

chef in disguise:pistachio honey sesame cookies

Honey pistachio sesame cookies “Barazek”

Barazek are cookies topped with a thick layer of sesame that is mixed with honey or simple syrup on one side while the other is dotted with pistachios. They are nutty and addictive. You bite into the sesame layer and feel the little sesame seeds crackle and pop then comes the cookie core, buttery and sweet and you finish with the nutty and pleasant taste of the rosy green pistachios.

Caramel hazelnut chocolate thumb cookies

Soft and chewy cookies, rich with chocolate flavor, the nutty hazelnuts add texture and are the perfect companion to the chocolate flavor. Add a little dose of caramel and these cookies are impossible to resist.

Chocolate crinkle cookies

What sets these crinkle cookies apart is the hint of spice from the addition of cinnamon and cardamom. If you have never tried adding spices to chocolate, you are missing out!

Oatmeal apple cookies

How about providing a healthy balance to all that chocolate, sugar and butter. I, personally am a big fan of oatmeal cookies. Add apples, raisins and cinnamon and I could hardly wait for the cookies to cool down. These oatmeal apple cookies are soft, chewy and cake like

Maamoul (Stuffed shortbread cookies)

Maamoul or mamool are small shortbread cookies traditionally filled with dates, pistachios or walnuts. They are popular in Levantine cuisine(Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon)

Biting into one of these cookies, you will first get the slightly crumbly crust with a hint of mastic and mahlab. Next comes the chewy and sweet filling.Be it the nutty pistachios or walnuts or my favorite, the dates with hints of cinnamon and cardamom. The whole thing melts in your mouth playing a melody of textures and flavors. One thing I know for sure about Maamoul, you can never stop at just one!

Chocolate and peppermint swirl cookie

Not only do these cookies look pretty but they are also versatile, you can combine any two flavors you like and you can even decorate the edges with ground nuts, coconuts or sparkling sugar

Orange bar cookies

The hint of spices, the delicious jam and the crunch of the base and the top sets these cookies apart. You can make them using any jam flavor you like. I happen to favor orange.

24 Comments

by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on December 20, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Biscotti, macaroons and cookies

Tagged baked goodies, baking, basic cookie dough recipe, cookie recipes, dessert, edible gift ideas, holiday cookies, oatmeal cookies, written labels

Posted by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on December 20, 2012

http://chefindisguise.com/2012/12/20/2012-cookie-recipe-roundup/

Honey pistachio sesame cookies “Barazek”

chef in disguise:pistachio honey sesame cookies

The best books for a man are not always those which the wise recommend, but often those which meet the peculiar wants, the natural thirst of his mind, and therefore awaken interest and rivet thought.
William Ellery Channing

When was the last time you lost yourself in a book? Picked it up and got sucked up into the story and could not put it down? When was the last time you read a book and each time you take your eyes off it to look at the time you find that a couple of hours have gone by? I’ll stop at 12, six hours of sleep should be enough. You look up, its one thirty! Ok ok, I am in trouble already so I might as well finish the chapter. You finally get to bed and its 2.30 in the morning, a voice on your head whispers how on earth am I going to get up in four hours and drive to work? but it is quickly drowned out by recap of the book and highlights you’re reliving in your imagination. You fall asleep with a smile.

A good book is one of life’s greatest joys. A book that makes you lose track of time and better yet, leaves you thinking long after you turn the last page.

I was writing this post yesterday and decided to take a break. I install the kindle app on my phone and think it would be a good idea to read a couple of pages of the hunger games book my best friend sent me,you know, get the feel of the story and the next thing I know it is 2.30 and I HAVE to put it down for worrying I would be too sleepy to drive the next morning!

I will not go into the book today, that is another post for another day but I would love to hear your answer for the question: what is your favorite book? and when was the last time you were so into a story that you simply could not put it down? at the pace I am going I will be through the three books in the series in no time, any suggestions on what I should read next?

barazek cookies with pistachio and sesame

The best way to enjoy a good book is to curl up with a cup of tea, a few cookies and dive in. Barazek are cookies topped with a thick layer of sesame that is mixed with honey or simple syrup on one side while the other is dotted with pistachios. They are nutty and addictive. You bite into the sesame layer and feel the little sesame seeds crackle and pop then comes the cookie core, buttery and sweet and you finish with the nutty and pleasant taste of the rosy green pistachios.

If you want your barazek cookies to be crunchy, make them thin. The thinner they are the more crisp and crunchy they turn out to be after baking but you will need to reduce the baking time as they will bake faster when they ate thinner. I like them a little on the chewy side so I made my barazek cookies a little thick. Either way they are the perfect combination of texture, color and flavor. Bake these barazek cookies and I promise you will not be disappointed.

Honey pistachio sesame cookies “barazek”

Makes 30 cookies

1 cup (200 g) butter softened

1 and 1/4 cups confectionary sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons vinegar

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 cup pistachio roughly chopped

1 cup sesame seeds

3 tablespoons honey or simple syrup (see notes)

Cream the butter with the sugar until the mix becomes light in color

cream butter and sugar

Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until completely incorporated

Add the vanilla and vinegar and beat

Whisk the flour with the baking powder and add it gradually with the salt to the mix and beat untill just incorporated

Do not over mix

Cover the dough and leave it in the fridge to rest for an hour up to overnight

dough

To roll and bake the barazek cookies

Mix the sesame and honey and place it in a plate

place the chopped pistachio in a plate

Line your baking sheet with parchment

Place your oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 180 C

Start by rolling pieces of the dough into walnut size balls

Press the dough ball into the pistachio, flatten it a little

Flip the cookie dough and press it into the sesame honey mix (If you like extra sesame topping, use a spoon to top the cookie with more sesame honey mix and press it into the dough to make sure it sticks)

hoeny sesame cookies

Arrange the cookies on your baking sheet 2 cm apart

barazek cookies

bake for 15-20 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown

Turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes

Take out of the oven and allow to cook on the tray for 5 minutes them transfer to a wire rack and cook completely

Store in an air tight container

barazek cookies with pistachio and sesame

Notes:

If you find it hard to get the sesame topping to stick to the cookies, you can take a spoonful of the sesame honey topping and press it gently to the top of the cookies instead of pressing the cookies into the sesame

You can make these cookies crunchy by making them thin, the thinner they are the more crisp and crunchy they turn out to be after baking but you will need to reduce the baking time as they will bake faster when they ate thinner. I like them a little on the chewy side so I made mine a little thick

By simple syrup I mean the syrup you make by boiling 2 cups of sugar with 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. You can flavor it with rosewater , cinnamon, orange peel or leave it plain

christmas extravanganza 00

Abeer, one of the most talented cake decoraters, sweetest and most creative bloggers I know asked me to take part in an event she is preparing for Christmas. She asked a few of her favorite bloggers (it is an honor being in that category) to take part in her christmas extravaganza. She asked for a traditional recipe or a new twist on a favorite one and I decided to make these hone sesame cookies for her. Please stop by her blog and check out all the amazing and creative recipes everyone brought

1. Chocolate cranberry skillet cake from Sandra at Sandra’s Easy Cooking

2. Pistachio and cardamom semifreddo with rose cream from Manu at Manu’s Menu

3. Annabelle’s ginger crisps from Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake

4. Chocolate cookies with candied fruit slices from Kate at Diethood

5. Honey pistachio sesame cookies (Barazek) from Sawsan at Chef in Disguise

6. Poppy seed roll (Makowiec) from Raven at Ravienomnoms

7. Stollen from Roxana at Roxana’s Home Baking

8. Cocoa mint shortbread from Tiffany at Comowater

9. Rose syrup chocolate bark from Abeer at Cake whiz

55 Comments

by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on December 12, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Biscotti, macaroons and cookies, Dessert

Tagged barazek recipe, dessert, food gift ideas, games book, honey, middle eastern recipes, pistachio, sesame cookies, william ellery channing

Posted by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on December 12, 2012

http://chefindisguise.com/2012/12/12/honey-pistachio-sesame-cookies-barazek/

C is for cookies

This month’s daring bakers challenge was all about cookies! Peta of Peta Eats challenged us to make cookies, she gave us 12 recipes and gave us the choice to make one of them or any other cookie recipe we liked. I can tell you one thing, it is dangerous being faced with that many cookie recipes. It is almost like taking a child to a toy store and saying you can have anything you want lol

After much struggle with choices, I made 3 cookie recipes, chocolate crinkle cookies, caramel hazelnut chocolate thumb cookies and oatmeal apple cookies.

The chocolate crinkle cookies were adapted from my friend Eva’s recipe. She posted a chocolate espresso crinkle recipe and I couldn’t resist trying them. I adapted the recipe slightly to accommodate the kids. I replaced the espresso with coco powder and added a little cinnamon and cardamom. If you remember, I used the same flavor combination for my chocolate birthday cake. I love the slight hint of spices when paired with chocolate. The cookies are soft and chewy and the kids loved them because they reminded them of brownies.

The caramel hazelnut chocolate thumb cookies were the result of searching for turtle cookies. Peta provided us with a recipe for turtle chocolate bars that were super tempting but very very rich. I was looking for a recipe with the same flavors in cookie form and came across a recipe for turtle cookies. I replaced the pecans with hazelnuts and the result was unbelievable! The hazelnut, caramel and chocolate combo is everything you expect it to be and then some!

The oatmeal apple cookies were an attempt to provide a healthy balance to all that chocolate, sugar and butter. I, personally am a big fan of oatmeal cookies. Add apples, raisins and cinnamon and I could hardly wait for the cookies to cool down. These cookies are soft, chewy and cake like

Blog checking lines: Holiday season is the time for sharing and Peta of Peta Eats is sharing a dozen cookies, some classics and some of her own, from all over the world with us.

Chocolate crinkle cookies

Adapted from Eva’s chocolate espresso crinkle cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon instant coffee powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

½ cup icing sugar

Directions:

Cream the butter and sugar by beating them in your food processor or using an electric mixer

Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until pale

Sift the flour and coco powder in a bowl, add the cinnamon, cardamom, instant coffee and salt

Slowly mix in all the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined

Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or freeze for 30-45 minutes

Sift icing sugar into a small bowl.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Roll dough into a small ball about the size of a walnut

Roll balls in the icing sugar

Place on parchment covered baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between the cookies.

Bake 10-12 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the sheet; transfer to racks to cool completely before storing.

Caramel chocolate thumb cookies

Recipe adapted from pixilated crumb who adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Holiday Cookies 2010 Special Issue

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups hazelnuts, chopped fine

1 egg white

14 soft caramel candies

3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

With electric mixer or food processor on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.

Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix until incorporated

Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in bowl.

Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.

Place your oven rack in upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk egg whites in bowl until frothy.

Place hazelnuts in another bowl.

Roll dough into small balls, dip in egg whites, then roll in the nuts.

Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

Using the 1/2-teaspoon measure, make indentation in center of each ball.

Bake until set, about 12 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking.

Place the caramel and heavy cream in a pot and gently heat them, stirring occasionally, until smooth.

Once cookies are removed from oven, gently re-press existing indentations (they tend to fade with baking).

Fill each with caramel mixture.

Cool 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack

Oatmeal apple cookies

Adapted from food.com

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup apple sauce

1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup flour

1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups quick oats (not instant or old fashioned)

1 cup peeled diced apple

3/4 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°

Grease your baking sheets or line with parchment

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat till pale.

Add milk and beat till combined.

Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, soda and nutmeg in a small bowl and mix into creamed mixture at low speed until just blended.

Stir in oats, apples, raisins

Use two tablespoons to drop the dough onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 13 minutes or until just set.

Cool for a minute or 2 on cookie sheets and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely

Thank you Peta for an amazing and delicious challenge

115 Comments

by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on November 27, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Biscotti, macaroons and cookies, Daring bakers

Tagged baking, caramel hazelnt chocolate thumb cookies, caramel hazelnut, chocolate crinkle cookies, cookie recipes, daring bakers 2012, dessert, hazelnut chocolate, oatmeal apple cookies, turtle chocolate cookies, turtle cookies

Posted by Sawsan@ Chef in disguise on November 27, 2012

http://chefindisguise.com/2012/11/27/c-is-for-cookies/

Maamoul (Stuffed shortbread cookies)

Maamoul or mamool are small shortbread cookies traditionally filled with dates, pistachios or walnuts. They are popular in Levantine cuisine(Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon).

I have fond memories of making cookies with my mum for Eid. Making maamoul is usually an event for family and friends to come together, all helping and participating in making the dough, filling the cookies, forming them and baking them. All this happens in a cosy atmosphere filling with chats about the blessings of Ramadan, the experience of fasting, Eid preparations and plans. Kids talk about the new cloths and toys they bought for Eid, all the places they plan on going, helping deform a few maamoul cookies here and there in the process. As soon as the first baking sheet goes into the oven, a cloud of spice and heavenly smells fills the house and it suddenly feels like Eid is indeed a couple of days away :)

Maamool cookies are usually formed into unique shapes using hand carved wooden molds that not only make the cookies look special but they help you tell what type of filling is in each cookie. The flat round ones are filled with dates, the elongated oval ones and the oval ones are for the nut fillings: pistachios and walnuts. Another way of forming the cookies would be using special decorating tweezers you see in the pictures. The tweezers are used to pinch the dough to form different patterns

Maamoul Recipe

Recipe can be doubled or halved

Maamoul dough recipe

200 gm butter (room temperature)

200 gm margarine (room temperature) or ghee (melted)

1 cup (250 ml) vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup powder milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon yeast

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon ground mahlab

1/4 teaspoon mastic, ground finely

1 kilogram flour.

Filling recipe

Ingredients – Fillings

If you decide to make the whole amount with a single type of filling then use the amounts below, if you want to use more than one filling then use these ratios as a guideline, and make less/more depending on how much you want to make

1 kg date puree and 1/2 cup butter kneaded with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon cardamom
500 gm chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup sugar with 2 tablespoons orange blossom water, 2 tablespoons butter or ghee and 1 tablespoon cinnamon
500 gm coarsely ground pistachios and 1/2 cup sugar with 2 tablespoons orange blossom water and 2 tablespoons melted butter or ghee
Orange blossom water, cardamom and cinnamon are added for flavor and are entirely optional
You can replace half of the sugar with 1/4 cup of simple syrup. I find that the addition of the syrup keeps the filling from drying out while baking and makes it more flavorful

Making the crust dough

Beat the butter margarine and oil in the food processor, stand mixer or in a bowl with a whisk

Add the eggs and vanilla and beat till the mix is pale in color.

Add the sugar and powdered milk and beat till the mix is creamy and homogenous

Add the yeast, baking powder, mastic, mahlab and ground fennel

Add the flour slowly, one cup at a time and knead the dough (keeping in mind that you do not want to over work it) till you get a smooth and soft dough.

Allow the dough to rest for one hour

Cut the dough into egg sized balls.

If making date maamoul:

Form the kneaded date puree into small balls about half the size of the dough balls

Flaten the dough ball , place the date ball inside and seal the dough around the stuffing making sure the filling is completely enclosed by the dough and shape it into a ball.

Maamoul using the molds

Place the dough in a mold, press firmly but do not over do it or the maamoul will stick to the mold (see the notes for a trick that will help you get the cookies out of the molds whole every time)

Place a kitchen towel on a cutting board or your kitchen table

Then invert the mold and tap the end of the mold on the kitchen towel and the formed cookie will fall out.

Free form maamoul

With your thumb, press gently in the center of the cookie to make a circular depression.

Add your desired pattern using the decorating tweezers or forks.

If making pistachio or walnut maamoul

Create a little ball of dough and make a hole in it, making the sides even

Fill with your desired filling.

Close the dough by pinching the open dough rim together making sure that the filling is totally covered by dough

Follow the steps of forming the maamool using a mold or tweezer

Baking Maamoul

I bake maamoul on the middle rack of a preheated oven (230 C) till the edges are golden brown (5-12 minutes) and then place them under the broiler till the tops are golden brown (2-5 minutes)

Take the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 10- 15 minutes then move them to a cooling rack because they are proun to crumble if you move them when they are still hot

Important notes about making maamoul:

Add the flour slowly because different types of flour absorb fat differently, you may not need the whole kilogram. If you happen to add too much flour and your dough becomes a little dry and crumbly, add 1/2 to 1 stick of softened butter and knead it into the dough and it should go back to being smooth and easy to handle.
You can bake maamoul without shaping it, just form the stuffed cookies into balls and arrange them on a baking sheet and bake them, they will be just as tasty without the molds or decorations
You can stuff these cookies with apples that you sautéed with a little butter and cinnamon or with chopped dried figs or dried apricots that you have soaked in rosewater. The traditional stuffings are dates, walnuts and pistachios but that does not mean that you cannot be creative.
To make it easier to get the cookies out of the molds, I line the molds with a little piece of plastic wrap
Maamoul bakes really quickly, don’t walk away from the oven while the cookies are baking they can go from white to black in a couple of minutes.
Kept in an airtight container these cookies will last for 3 weeks