Maamoul

As Easter Sunday nears, most people will be preparing to get together with their families to celebrate. They will also make sure that they have colored their easter eggs, bought their chocolate eggs and most importantly their traditional Maamoul sweet. Maamoul is a wonderful sweet made of very simple ingredients and stuffed with either nuts or dates. Most people don’t have time to make their own Maamoul these days, but they will make sure to get some for themselves or for when they visit someone else’s home on Easter. And I have to say that the Muslims also love to make this sweet during Ramadan and the Eid.

In our family, it is an important part of our tradition to get together to make our own Maamoul. I have used this recipe for many years and my daughters have always helped make them when we are together. And recently with the new additions to our family, my grandchildren are also now involved in the process. As I mentioned before, the Maamoul is stuffed with pistachios, walnuts or dates, but I always make sure to leave one of each shape without any stuffing. The person who gets the empty Maamoul is considered lucky.

The molds and one tong            The mixed butter

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo semolina
• 1/2 kilo butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp mahlab (wild cherry tree)orfenugreek
• 1 tbsp orange blossom water
• 1 tbsp dried instant yeast
• 1 cup milk (more or less depending on the type of semolina)

• Place the butter large mixing bowl,mix it until it becomes fluffy
•  Rub with semolina using your fingers until all the semolina has absorbed the butter. Cover with a tea towel and leave overnight
• Preheat the oven to 180DegC
• The next day, add the instant yeast and sugar and rub well again. Add the milk gradually until the dough is well-combined
• Form a small ball using the dough,  flatten the ball. Then stuff with your choice of stuffing as described below. Place in the mold and slam down on your hard work surface to release the Maamoul
• Place the Maamoul on a baking tray and continue until all the dough is complete
• Bake in the oven for 12-15 mins until the top is light golden in color
• Leave in the trays until completely cold
• Dust the Maamoul stuffed in nuts with icing sugar, for the date ones you don’t need too because they are sweet enough

The fillings:For the date stuffing:

– If you cannot find dates puree, bring dates, remove seed and skin, in a small saucepan melt one tablespoon of butter and add the dates, mix until puree. Sprinkle with a pinch of ground nutmeg. when they are cold, make them into small balls.

The dates shaped like balls    The walnut filling                   The pistachios filling

 For the nut filling:( pistachios or walnut)

-Ground roughly a cup of nut of your choice, mix with 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon rose water and two tablespoons of orange blossom water

Nota Bene: if you cannot find the mold you can shape the balls of Maamoul with your hands then design with a tong, like the one on the picture above.

ET VOILA… HAPPY EASTER.:)