Deluxe Ma'amoul with Semolina

Ingredients

• 5 cups fine semolina
• 2 cups coarse semolina
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fine sugar (or powdered sugar)
• 3 cups samna (ghee/clarified butter)
• 1/4 cup orange blossom water
• 1/4 cup rose water
• 1 tsp mahlab (mahleb)
• Anise (optional)
• 1 tsp yeast
• 1/4 cup fine semolina for dusting molds
• Powdered sugar for dusting
• Fillings:
• Mashed dates + 1 tbsp butter
• Chopped walnuts + 3 tbsp sugar + 2 tbsp orange blossom water + a pinch of cinnamon
• Chopped pistachios + 3 tbsp sugar syrup (qatir) or as needed + 1 tbsp orange blossom water
• Recipe by our friend and chef on Shou Tabkhin Today:
• Rasmia Majdoub
• Click Rasmia's name to visit her page on our site and discover her lovely recipes.
• For more ma'amoul recipes see Ma'amoul filled with dates (no semolina)

Method

1. Melt the ghee over the stove until it is completely melted without overheating.
2. Mix the fine and coarse semolina well, add the melted ghee and rub or stir with a fork until the mixture absorbs all the ghee.
3. Let it rest for at least a full night, stirring from time to time.
4. On the second day add the flour, mahlab and anise and mix well.. then add the yeast and a quarter cup of rose water, orange blossom water, and rose water over the semolina mixture and mix with your fingertips until you obtain a soft, cohesive dough.
5. Leave it for ten minutes and start cutting it.
6. Make a cavity in the center of each disk and fill the disks with the filling you want.
7. Place each disk in the special ma'amoul mold after sprinkling it with a little fine semolina so the disk does not stick to the mold.
8. Turn the disks over and place them on a baking tray, then put the tray on the lower rack of the oven at 200°C until you notice the edges beginning to brown.
9. Brown the tops.
10. Remove the ma'amoul and let it cool completely on the trays before sprinkling powdered sugar over the walnut and pistachio cookies.
11. Rasmiyya Majdoub
12. For more ma'amoul recipes, here is Ma'amoul Mad with date without semolina