EID COOKIES (معمول العيد)
Muslims all around the globe celebrate the end of Ramadan and fasting by feasting on these delicious sugary treats. This special video was created with my mom and grandma, as we made ma'amoul and shared stories going back 60 years! These melt-in-your-mouth cookies take a bit of time to make, but are oh-so-worth-it!
INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
1 kg semolina (1/2 fine, 1/2 rough)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk powder
1 tablespoon mahlab powder
200g butter, room temperature
200g ghee
1 teaspoon yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water and 1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
1 can Nestle cream (or any other brand of cream)
1 cup flour, add gradually and as needed
For the dates filling:
1 kg dates (khalass kind, the softest and most expensive, usually)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 heaping teaspoon mahlab powder
For the pistachio filling:
2 cups pistachio
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon mahlab powder
1 teaspoon rose water
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
1 tablespoon sugar syrup
1 teaspoon butter, room temperature
For the walnuts filling:
2 cups walnuts
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon mahlab powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon rose water
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
1 tablespoon sugar syrup
1 teaspoon butter, room temperature
PREPARATION
For the dough:
1. In a large round baking pan, mix the 2 kinds of semolina using your hands with the sugar, milk powder and mahlab.
2. Add the butter and ghee, then begin to gently mix by rubbing the mixture between your hands until all is combined. Keep rubbing it between your fingers, until the mixture turns into coarse meal. If your hands turn glossy and the mixture is soft and wet, then you will not need to add another tablespoon of ghee. If it’s dry, then it's OK to add one more.
3. When all is combined, cover tightly with foil and allow it to rest 8 hours or overnight, so the mixture really absorbs the butter.
4. When uncovering, rub the mixture between your hands again to check for dryness.
5. In a cup, add warm water over the yeast and sugar and mix to combine, then allow it 5 to 10 minutes to bloom.
6. Once it blooms, pour it over the dough mixture, and add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and the can of cream.
7. Begin to bring the dough together with your hands, rubbing it gently between your fingers, until it starts to absorb all the ingredients and form itself into a dough.
8. Once it starts to come together, incorporate the flour into it, kneading gently until it begins to take form.
9. Cover with foil, and allow it to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
10. In the meantime, prepare a bowl with about a cup of rough semolina to use to dip the cookies when you begin to form the dough into shapes.
11. Once you’ve allowed the dough to rest, you can now begin filling it and shaping it.
12. Take a small piece of dough and roll it into a ball, then flatten it on your hand.
13. Place the filling of your choice in the middle of the flattened dough and begin to bring the edges around it, covering it and rolling it back into a ball.
14. Dip the ball into the semolina bowl, then place it into the mould you’re using and tap it to release.
15. Repeat using different fillings or moulds, until the dough is done.
16. Preheat only the bottom rack of your oven to 200°C.
17. When your baking tray is ready to go into the oven, turn on the top rack of the oven as well. This way you ensure that the bottom rack has a higher temperature and will cook thoroughly, while the top rack is at a lower temperature giving the cookies a nice color without scorching them.
18. Bake for 8-10 minutes until they begin to slightly change color, turning into a nice golden brown.
19. Make sure you check on them after the 8 minute mark, it only takes a moment for them to turn from a nice golden color to having burnt cookies.
For the fillings:
1. For the dates stuffing, remove the seeds from the dates and place them in a large bowl.
2. Add the oil, cinnamon and mahlab powder and mix, using your hands, to combine.
3. If it’s not soft or coming together well, add another tablespoon of oil.
4. Set aside, until ready to use.
5. For the pistachio stuffing, add the pistachios with the sugar in a food processor and pulse until it is roughly chopped and combined.
6. Add the mahlab and pulse again.
7. Put mixture in a bowl and add the rose water, orange blossom water, sugar syrup and butter, and mix to combine until it holds together well.
8. Refrigerate until it is ready for use.
9. For the walnuts stuffing, add the walnuts with the sugar in a food processor and pulse until it is roughly chopped and combined.
10. Add the mahlab and cinnamon and pulse again to combine.
11. Put mixture in a bowl and add the rose water, orange blossom water, sugar syrup and butter, and mix to combine until it holds together well. Be careful with walnuts, because they absorb water quickly, so you have to work fast.
12. While you are preparing all the stuffings, always taste as you go and adjust accordingly.
13. Refrigerate until it is ready for use.
Notes:
This is a dessert that is made in a hundred different ways. Some only use flour to make it, others mix semolina with flour, and some use just semolina. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Experiment, and choose your favorite!
You can stuff these cookies with all sorts of fillings. The traditional fillings are dates, pistachio and walnuts, but you can try fig, Turkish delights, peach and much more!
You know your ovens best, so use your judgment when baking these cookies.
