Walnut Maamoul (Filled Shortbread)

Ingredients

• 4 cups all‑purpose flour
• 4 cups fine semolina
• 500 g butter
• 1½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup powdered milk
• 1 packet or 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 medium spoon ground mahleb (mahlab)
• ½ cup oil
• A splash of rosewater
• A splash of orange blossom water
• Water as needed
• Filling :
• Walnuts
• Simple sugar syrup (qatra / shireh)
• Walnut maamoul recipe from a friend and contributor to Shoutabkhin:
• فاطمة عبدالله
• Click the name to visit Fatima's page on our site and see all her delicious recipes
• For more of Fatima's sweets see: Date Biscuit (Basbouset Tamr)
• To make "Ayn Al‑Maha" sweet by Fatima see: Ayn Al‑Maha Dessert

Method

1. Mix the fine semolina with the flour. Add the butter and rub it in by hand without kneading until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Add the remaining dough ingredients and begin adding water, bringing the dough together gently — avoid over‑kneading. It's best to just gather the ingredients rather than heavy kneading.
3. Continue adding water as needed until you have a cohesive dough.
4. Let the dough rest for about one hour.
5. Prepare the filling meanwhile: chop the walnuts and mix them with a little sugar syrup (qatra).
6. After an hour, shape the dough into small balls, make a hollow in each, fill with the walnut mixture, then seal. Press each filled ball into a wooden maamoul mold to shape.
7. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the maamoul on it.
8. Bake the walnut maamoul at 180°C (356°F) until the cookies are cooked through and lightly colored.
9. Allow the maamoul to cool to room temperature, dust with powdered sugar, and serve.