Ingredients: *for the dough: 3¼ cups extra-fine durum wheat flour (or semolina), 2¼ cups flour, 1 cup softened butter, ¾ cup icing sugar + some for dusting, 1½ teaspoon baking powder,¼ cup milk.
*for the filling: 8 oz. date paste, 3 tablespoons toasted walnuts, 5 tablespoons toasted pistachios, 3 tablespoons toasted almonds, 2 tbsp ground Prunus Mahaleb seeds
Preparation:
*filling: mix all ingredients together or separate all the dried fruits and mix each of them with date paste.
*dough:
1.In a large container, place the extra fine semolina, the flour, icing sugar, softened butter, baking powder. Mix well until reaching a dough that feels like sand.
2. Add the milk and then the required amount of orange blossom water and/or rose water. Form a ball of dough. It should be smooth, not sticky.
3.Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature.
4.Form balls of about ½ oz.
5.Stuff each ball of dough with the date and nuts. Roll the ball so the filling is fully coated with dough.
6.Shape the balls using a maamoul mold. Put the dough inside the maamoul mold and pack well, turn the mold over and give a quick tap to unmold.
7.Place the maamoul on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cook in a preheated oven at 350 F for 15-20 minutes. Pastries must remain very white.
8.As you take them out of the oven, sprinkle with icing sugar.
9.Maamoul can be kept for eight days in an airtight container.