What are Lebanese Maamoul Cookies? Lebanese date cookies or maamoul biscuits are a divine dessert. Lebanese serve these yummy treats on all occasions including Eid Al-Fitr, Lent, Easter, and many other holiday celebrations. In fact, making these scrumptious soft date-filled cookies is a huge family event in many Middle Eastern homes.
To shape maamoul by hand: Dust your work surface with flour. Use your hand or a rolling pin dusted with flour to flatten the dough ball to about ¼-inch thick in an oblong shape, about 2 ½-inches long by 1 ½-inches wide. Shape a tablespoon of date paste into a log similar in shape but smaller than the flattened dough.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Sprinkle some flour over the ma'amoul molds and tap out the excess. Pinch off a walnut-sized piece of dough and roll into a ball. Press your thumb into the ball to create space for the filling.
Maamoul mad (read as med) is a basically an open maamoul cookie. The dough for this one is more semolina than flour to create a more crumbly texture. Also, instead of shaping the dough and giving it a pattern, you roll out the dough into two pieces.