Ease of Preparation: Medium
Yield: 16 cookies
Ingredients:
Filling:
- ½ pound (454 g) pitted dates, chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water
Dough:
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) instant dried yeast
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) warm water
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.5 ml) sugar
- 2 cups (480 ml) coarse semolina flour
- ¾ cups (180 ml) flour
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lactose-free milk
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
Add dates, butter, nutmeg and water to a saucepan and stir. Gently simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Put dates into a greased flat-bottomed dish. Flatten out with spatula and set in fridge to cool.
For the dough, stir yeast in water and let sit for ten minutes.
Add flours, sugar and butter to large bowl. Butter should be warm, but not hot. Massage butter into mixture until it takes on a sand-like consistency. Set in fridge to cool overnight.
Add the yeast water and milk to dough after it has cooled. Mix just to combine.
Knead the dough until it is pliable and then break off a portion of the dough to roll into a ball that is about an inch and a half in diameter.
Flatten the dough against a lightly floured surface.
Remove the date mixture from the fridge, wet your hands with water, and remove a portion of mixture from the dish. Roll into a smaller ball than the dough ball you started with.
Pick up the round of dough and place on one palm. Put the date ball inside the dough and wrap the dough around the filling. Roll between palms to make smooth. Place on a greased baking tray.
Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
Either press each dough ball into a maamoul mold (you can buy these in specialty stores) and then place back on tray, or pattern the top of each ball however you please with a fork.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cookies are golden.
Serve.