Check out our Maamoul Recipe or purchase the “Sahtein Middle Eastern Cookbook” for two authentic recipes.

All our molds are made from NON-TREATED wood.

You will receive one mold.

What is Maamoul – Maamoul Mold

Maamoul is a small ball or dome-shaped Middle Eastern pastry with a slightly crumbly crust that is stuffed with a sweet chewy filling. There are three types of traditional maamoul fillings – dates, walnuts, and pistachios. Each of these has a different shape so even without biting into it, you can tell what the filling will be inside just by looking at the shape itself. Walnut-filled maamoul is generally dome-shaped with a rounded top, whereas the date-filled versions are dome-shaped with a flat top and the pistachio-filled variety has an elongated oval shape. Very rarely, figs or almonds are also used for the filling.  

Maamoul is relatively easy to make and is often prepared and baked at home. They are shaped using a wooden maamoul mold. Most Arab households will have these molds in different shapes. 

Here’s an easy recipe for anyone who would love to try their hand at preparing a batch of delicious Arabic date cookies. 

Ingredients & Preparation 

Makes 25 Maamoul

• 2 cups semolina
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 8 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup solid shortening (any fat that is solid at room temp)
• ¼ cup sugar (granulated)
• 1 ½ cups macerated dates for the filling
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon orange flower water
• 2 tablespoons rose water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons water

Start by sifting semolina, flour, salt, sugar, and yeast together in a bowl. Then, add solid shortening, water, orange flower water, and rose water and mix them by hand. Next, cover the dough and let it rest for 1 to 3 hours.

To make the cookies, first, take a small ball of dough and stuff the center of the ball with the date filling. Next, close up the open end. Finally, place the filled ball of dough into a dome-shaped mold. It is important to make sure the mold is floured first so the dough does not stick. To remove the cookie from the mold, rap the mold on the work table. 

The final step is to bake the cookies for 20 minutes at 350° temperature. 

To make walnut or pistachio filling, simply mix 1 ½ cups finely chopped pistachios or walnuts, 2 tablespoons orange flower water, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ cup sugar.

Who Eats It?

Almost all Arabic households keep a stock of these cookies all year round to be served anytime a guest comes over. The smaller bite-sized cookies are served any time of the day with tea or coffee whereas medium and larger-sized varieties are usually served as dessert after meals. 

Serving maamoul during religious festivals is a must, as no festival is considered complete without them. The Christians in the region serve them at Easter and the Muslims nibble on these delicious cookies at night during the Ramadan season, for instance. Similarly, the Lebanese enjoy nut-filled maamoul for Purim and the Jews serve it at Hanukkah and Rosh Hashanah. 

For more information, check out this Wiki Maamoul Page.