The following recipe comes from Shlomo Schwartz on the Nosher via My Jewish Learning:
Ma’amoul is a traditional small pastry from the Levant (the area between Syria in the north and Egypt in the south including Lebanon, Israel and Palestine). Muslims, Christians and Jews lived in this area, alongside each other for over 1500 years. Among the many cultural and culinary traditions they share are the date and walnut-stuffed cookies called Ma’amoul.
For many, this Middle Eastern treat is a sweet bite of nostalgia, as the cookies are associated with certain holidays and special occasions. Muslims eat them to break the fast during the month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, Christians nibble on them before the Lent and while celebrating Easter, and Jews enjoy them during Purim, when they’re filled with nuts, and Rosh Hashanah, when they’re filled with dates.
You can find many types of Ma’amoul around the region, with different names, fillings and shapes. In Lebanon, you can find seven kinds of this pastry! Traditional Ma’amoul is round and formed into unique shapes using hand carved wooden molds or by using special decorating tweezers that form different pattern. Jewish ma’amoul stands out in that it’s made with pure white flour instead of semolina.
Forming each cookie individually is a labor of love, so you can take a shortcut with my recipe for “Lazy Ma’amoul” if you’re short on time. It tastes just as good as the original. In the spirit of the variety of fillings for Ma’amoul, I added crumbled Halvah and chopped pecans to the traditional date filling.
Ingredients
Dough
3 ½ cups of flour
10 1/2 oz soft butter/margarine
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla sugar
½ cup water (room temperature)
Zest of 1 lemon
Filling
1 ½ cup date spared
4 oz halvah, crumbled (you can crumble with a fork)
¾ cup chopped roasted pecans
Directions
Preheat the oven to 340 degrees F.
In a large bowl, use your hands to mix all of the dough ingredients until fully combined. You can use a mixer with a hook attachment if you prefer. Cut in to 2 portions.
On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion of the dough into a rectangle, 1/2 inch thick. Trim the edges to refine the rectangle.
Spread half of the date mixture evenly onto the dough and sprinkle half of the halvah and pecans on top.
Carefully roll the dough tightly, starting from the angel that is closer to you, and place the seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Using your fingers pinch the ends of the log to seal. Repeat the same steps with the second half of the dough, and bake them in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for about 10-15 minutes.
Once the dough slightly cools, carefully slice the logs into 1 inch slices using a large knife. (Prevent the dough from crumbling by using a knife that’s not serrated.)
Let the sliced Ma’amoul cool completely, and sprinkle a generous amount of confectioner’s sugar before serving.
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