Niki Louca shares her recipe for Ma’amoul (Date Filled Cookies)

Niki Louca from My Greek Kitchen shares her favourite recipe for Ma’amoul (Date Filled Cookies) with The Greek Herald. You can follow her on Instagram @mygreekkitchen for more!

Ingredients: (makes about 32)

• 1 cup unsalted butter melted
• 3 cups fine semolina
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp dry active yeast
• 1 tbsp rose water
• 2 tbsp orange blossom water

Walnut filling:

• 2 ¼ cups chopped walnuts (medium to fine).  Can substitute to pistachios if you prefer.
• 4 tbsp orange blossom water
• 2 tsp cinnamon powder
• ¾ cup icing sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on top

Method:

1. The day before – combine your semolina with melted butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix well till well incorporated and should feel and look like sand.  Cover with gladwrap and leave overnight on benchtop.  Butter will be fully absorbed and mixture will harden.
2. Next day – In a mini food processor, chop your walnuts to medium/fine consistency.  Add the blossom water, cinnamon and icing sugar – mix well.  Set aside.
3. Pre heat your oven to 190C fan force.
4. Dilute the yeast with the water and sugar and set aside for 10 minutes till yeast activates.
5. Add the activated yeast to your semolina mixture you prepared the day before, along with the blossom water and rose water.  Work the dough with your hands, or use a stand-alone mixer till it comes together.  If the dough is too crumbly add 1 tbsp of warm water at a time till it comes together.  It shouldn’t be sticky.  Best way to check if its ready is to grab a small piece of dough and squeeze it together in your hand.  If it holds together and doesn’t crumble, it is ready.   Don’t over work the dough.
6. Rest the dough for half an hour.  Cover it with glad wrap.
7. Measure 25 gram size balls till all the dough is used up.  Cover balls so they don’t dry out as you work through them.
8. Place a ball in the palm of your hand and flatten it.  Place 2 tsp of the nut mixture and pinch dough together till the filling is covered.  Place the filled ball into your mould, and press it so that it fills it.  Be gentle as you don’t want the ball to burst.  Turn mould over and tap it firmly on a board to remove it.  Repeat with remaining balls.
9. Bake 1 inch apart in a tray lined with baking paper for approx. 15 minutes.  The bottoms should be golden and the tops pale white.
10. Once cooked sprinkle icing sugar and allow to completely cool before you store them away in an air tight container. 

NOTE: These can be frozen up to 3 months but must be individually wrapped with glad wrap and in an air tight container.

Niki Louca runs cooking classes in Melbourne. For more or to book classes visit My Greek Kitchen at www.mygreekkitchen.com.au or Instagram @mygreekkitchen. You can email Niki at: niki@mygreekkitchen.com.au.