Recipes>Date Recipes

Lebanese Date Pastries

by Tony Kitous from Comptoir Libanais

Makes about 18 individual pastries, or 18cm square tin

From Tony Kitous, this Lebanese recipe is an unusual sweet. The cookies, or maamoul, blend floral orange blossom, sticky dates and a crunch of pistachio.

Discover more delicious Date recipes

From sticky puddings to energy bites

From the book

Comptoir Libanais

Tony Kitous, Dan Lepard

Buy From

Introduction

These cookies, known as maamoul, are one of my favourite sweets at Comptoir. They have a slightly coarse and delicately sweet semolina butter pastry that surrounds a filling of dates or walnuts, and are simply dusted with icing sugar. The traditional recipe allows the dough to sit overnight and we think it gives the best result.

Tags

Ingredients

For the dough:
150gunsalted butter
300gfine semolina
1/4 tspsalt
75gcaster sugar
2-3 dropsalmond extract, or 1/4 tsp ground mahlab
25ml eachorange blossom water and rose water
1 tspfast-action yeast
For the date filling:
300gpitted dried dates
50gunsalted butter, softened
1/2 tspground cinnamon
Shelled peeled pistachios, chopped or sliced (optional)
icing sugar, to finish

Method

The night before you want to make the biscuits heat the butter in a heavy-based saucepan until most of the milky solids have disappeared from the bottom then remove from the heat. Put the semolina in a bowl then stir in the melted butter, mixing well. Cover the bowl and leave overnight at room temperature.

The following day, mix in the salt, sugar, almond extract (or mahlab), orange and rose waters. Dissolve the yeast in 1 tablespoon of warm water then add to the bowl. Cover the bowl and leave for 1-2 hours at room temperature before using.

For the filling, purée the dates, butter and cinnamon until smooth.

TO MAKE INDIVIDUAL DATE PASTRIES:

For each pastry, take 30g of dough and roll it into a ball. Place the ball in the palm of one hand, then press into the ball to make a hollow almost through to the other side. Place 20g of date filling inside, push the pastry gently up around it with your thumb, then pinch joins gently to seal it. Place on a baking tray lined with non-stick paper, join-end down, and press the prongs of a fork 4-5 times around the sides to make groove impressions.

Heat the oven to 160°/140°C fan/gas 2 1/2 and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until just beginning to brown on the base and very top. Once cold, dust well with icing sugar, and serve.

If you would like to add a crunchy coating of pistachio to your pastries, just press chopped or slivered pistachios on to the outside of the dough and bake in the same way. If you want very green pistachios, blanch the shelled nuts in boiling water for 15 minutes, then peel the skins off as this both reveals and intensifies the green colour.

Reviews

Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.

Cancel reply

Your review

Name *

Our team will respond to any queries as soon as we can - this may take longer over weekends. You do not need to resubmit your comment.

Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use .

Be the first to leave a review

Ingredients
Method

More Recipes from Comptoir Libanais

View all

Fresh Figs or Pears with Halloumi and Rocket

by Tony Kitous , Dan Lepard from Comptoir Libanais

Labneh with Black Olives and Mint

by Tony Kitous , Dan Lepard from Comptoir Libanais

More Date Recipes

View all

Really Soft Date Loaf with Cardamom, Fennel and Nigella Seeds

by Noor Murad from Lugma

Nadiya Hussain’s Kleicha: Date Swirled Cookies

by Nadiya Hussain from Rooza

More Biscuit Recipes

View all

Mary Berry’s Cashew Nutters

by Mary Berry from Mary 90: My Very Best Recipes

by Alison Roman from Dining In

Get our latest recipes, features, book news and ebook deals straight to your inbox every week