Mamoul Cookies

I made these the other day while preparing for a dairy lunch party.  I used my original recipe from a post I did in 2014.  The recipe worked great, correct measurements, the only thing different instead of water I used the juice from the orange I zested and for the corn flour I used premium polenta. I did not have any orange water in the refrigerator so I only used used rose water, but rather than double up on the rose water as one might expect, I just used an extra teaspoon of orange juice, since rose water can get leave a cloying taste when too much is added.  A delicious cookie in these weeks when many don’t eat meat.

Mamoul Cookies

Yield 24

Filling:

12 ounces pitted dates (I used Medjool dates)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup walnuts

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 teaspoon fresh orange juice

Dough:

2 1/ 2 cups flour

1/ 2 cup corn polenta

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon rose water

2 to 4 teaspoons orange juice

Place filling ingredients in bowl of food processor.  Pulse until it becomes a chunky paste, not perfectly smooth.  Remove filling from food processor and place in a medium bowl, then set aside while you make dough.

Measure flour and cornmeal into a medium bowl and set aside.  Slice butter into chunks and place into bowl of mixer.  Add sugar to butter and start mixer on lowest setting.  As sugar is incorporated slowly increase speed of mixer.  Thoroughly cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add vanilla, rose water, and orange water, then incorporate.  Blend in flour mix and mix on medium low until all combined. Do not over mix.  Remove dough from mixer and form 24 equal balls.

Heat oven to 350° F.  Form a 2 and 1/ 2 inch circle of dough with each ball.  Place approximately 1 tablespoon of date filling in the center of each circle.  Close circle around filling and then, roll it back into a ball shape.  Place re-rolled ball in Mamoul mold and press down to fill.  Tap the mold on the counter to dump out cookie.  Set cookie on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Repeat until all of the Mamoul are on cookie sheet.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until very pale gold.  Remove baking sheet from oven and remove cookies to a cooling rack.  Store Mamoul in and airtight container.  Mamoul may be dusted with powdered sugar before serving.  Mamoul may be frozen.