The Dough The Filling Flour - Sugar - Fine semolina - Butter -
Sometimes I put a dash of rose water
Walnuts - Sugar - Rose water - Cinnamon
Grind till course but don't let it turn to butter!Date filling: Dates, walnuts (optional but highly recommended), sugar
1.
The cookies are shaped using a tabi, a wooden mold from Syria. First,
I press what will become the top of the mahmool into the tabi, creating
a shell.
I scoop some mixture in, then form the flat round bottom in my hand, and press it on top of the mixture, sealing the edges.
Note the nice design!
2. I tap the tabi against a hard surface to loosen the cookie, then line them up on the tray.
3.
The result is a firm yet tender consistency, slightly hard on the
outside. Powdered sugar sifted over the warm cookies adds a nice sweetness
to the otherwise fairly unsweet cookie.
You sink your teeth in, sometimes
getting only a piece of the dough on the first bite. Upon reaching the
ground walnut or date mixture, the varying textures of smooth cookie dough
with small crunchies of semolina, and light rose flavor fills the senses.
Place the balls on the tray. The cookies, while they last, are very chewy inside, and not too sweet more more heavenly than wedding cookies or other walnut cookies. These can be baked along with the regular mahmool.