Ma’amoul is a traditional small pastry from the Levant (the area between Syria in the north and Egypt in the south including Lebanon, Israel and Palestine). Muslims, Christians and Jews lived in this area, alongside each other for over 1,500 years. Among the many cultural and culinary traditions they share are the date and walnut-stuffed cookies called ma’amoul.
For many, this Middle Eastern treat is a sweet bite of nostalgia, as the cookies are associated with certain holidays and special occasions. Muslims eat them to break the fast during the month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, Christians nibble on them before the Lent and while celebrating Easter, and Jews enjoy them during Purim, when they’re filled with nuts, and Rosh Hashanah, when they’re filled with dates.
You can find many types of ma’amoul around the region, with different names, fillings and shapes. In Lebanon, you can find seven kinds of this pastry! Traditional ma’amoul is round and formed into unique shapes using hand-carved wooden molds or by using special decorating tweezers that form different pattern. Jewish ma’amoul stands out in that it’s made with pure white flour instead of semolina.
Forming each cookie individually is a labor of love, so you can take a shortcut with my recipe for “lazy ma’amoul” if you’re short on time. It tastes just as good as the original. In the spirit of the variety of fillings for ma’amoul, I added crumbled halvah and chopped pecans to the traditional date filling. You can find date spread on Amazon or Middle Eastern grocery stores.
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Easy Ma’amoul Cookies
By rolling these traditional cookies instead of intricately decorating them by hand, they’re ready in a fraction of the time.
- Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3 ½ cups flour
- 10 ½ oz butter or margarine, at room temperature
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar
- ½ cup water, at room temperature
- zest of 1 lemon
For the filling:
- 1 ½ cup date spread
- 4 oz crumbled halva
- ¾ cup chopped roasted pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 340°F.
- In a large bowl, use your hands to mix all of the dough ingredients until fully combined. You can use a mixer with a hook attachment if you prefer. Cut in to two portions.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of the dough into a rectangle, ½-inch thick. Trim the edges to refine the rectangle.
- Spread half of the date mixture evenly onto the dough and sprinkle half of the halvah and pecans on top.
- Carefully roll the dough tightly, starting from the angel that is closer to you, and place the seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Using your fingers pinch the ends of the log to seal. Repeat the same steps with the second half of the dough, and bake them in the preheated oven for 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool for about 10-15 minutes.
- Once the dough slightly cools, carefully slice the logs into 1-inch slices using a large knife. (Prevent the dough from crumbling by using a knife that’s not serrated.)
- Let the sliced ma’amoul cool completely, and sprinkle a generous amount of confectioner’s sugar before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mizrahi
Directions
These look wonderful. What is the date spread used? Could I make it with tart cherry preserves and nuts? Thanks.marcia
Hi Marcia, you can find Israeli date spread on Amazon, or in Middle Eastern stores. Cherry + nuts sound delicious, too! Please let us know how they turn out.
Ziyad makes a date paste for baking. I have some but have not yet used it. Disclosure .. I do not work for Ziyad, nor do I benefit by mentioning the company or their products.
https://www.ziyad.com/product/ziyad-baking-dates-date-filling/
Yummy!! Like the “lazy version”, cause I’m a very busy person.
And still the family enjoyed them, todah!❤❤
I have made these before and they are yummy! Can they be frozen either before baking or after?
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Once they are completely cool, but before you dust them with sugar, you can freeze them in an airtight container for up to two months. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar before serving. Enjoy!
This recipe is flawless. I have made it many times.
Is it ok to skip the halvah?
Sure! You may want to add more pecans.
What kind of halvah?
They were delicious!! Everybody loved them. Easy to make.
My family has made a similar cookie, but we just called them Pinwheel Cookies! I think my family has Jewish Roots! I’ve found several recipes through your publication that are similar to recipes enjoyed by many generations of our family! To think, I had no idea we had so many shared Jewish dishes. We’ve been Christians by faith for generations, but I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that somewhere along the family tree we had a few Jewish kinfolk/Mishpacha! The key to that possibility is through food! Can you imagine that? Thanks for sharing your recipes! I love trying new ones & am excited when I discover one that brings back memories of family gatherings gone by!