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Maamoul: Festive cookies - Lebanese style

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Typically made on special occasions such as Easter, these delicate cookies are festive, beautiful, and tasty. The base is made out of semolina flour and butter, with rose water and flower concentrate (Maa- Al'Zahr and Maa-Al'ward). Then come the fillings!. We had three: Walnuts, Pistachios and dates mixed with spices (cinnamon and allspice) and sugar. A piece of the well rested dough is made into a ball, filled and molded into a wooden piece whose shape depends on the type of filling: The pistachio was the elongated (which would contain the least amount of filling) one, the walnut in the round pyramid like (my favorite), and the dates in the round cylindrical shape. They are then baked and served on a plate with powedered sugar on top. Well, we made a walnut batch tonight. We are still tweaking the recipe, but based on a quick sample, they are delicious.
The nuts and the sugar with the flower infused semolina are a nice combination.
Those are my absolute favorite cookies and no celeration should be allowed to proceed without Maamoul on the table. Certainly, Maamoul will be on full display on the sweets table this Sunday.

Comments

Elena said…
They were fabulous! I think I'm becoming a rosewater fanatic!
April 21, 2009 at 5:19 PM
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