Maamoul cookies with pistachio and walnuts recipe

Maamoul Dough Ingredients (makes ~30 cookies)     1 lb coarse semolina (smeed khishin)     5 oz fine semolina (smeed naim), or Farina     0.5 cup of regular sugar     0.6 lb of sweet butter, melted     4 oz of rose water     1 oz of orange blossom water     1/6 teaspoon of yeast     1/4 cup of warm water     Ground “mahlab” to taste (optional, but recommended)     1/4 teaspoon of ground Greek Mistika (optional)     A bit of acacia incense (bakhoor) (optional) Nut Fillings Ingredients     3/4 to 1 cup of regular sugar     2 cups of powdered sugar     0.5 lb of unsalted pistachio nuts     0.5 lb of unsalted walnuts     1 oz of rose water     1 oz of orange blossom water Maamoul Dough Preparation Method     Mix the coarse and fine semolina, along with 0.5 cup of regular sugar with hands or in food processor (we used a food processor).     Melt the butter on low heat, let cool down, then pour on top of the semolina mix and work it with your hands into a paste. You can also use a food processor and knead for 4-5 minutes on low speed.     Warm 4 oz of rose water, 1 oz of orange blossom water in a pot along with the Greek mistika (optional) and pour on the paste.     Dilute the yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water and add to the paste.     Add a dash of Mahlab powder and knead the dough with your hands, or in the food processor for 3-5 more minutes.     You should now have a nice dough that needs about 7-10 hours of rest, covered, at room temperature. Maamoul Fillings Preparation Method     Mix your choice or pistachio, walnuts, or a mix of both along with sugar in a food processor and grind at high speed for 2-3 minutes     Add the rose water and orange blossom water and grind for a couple more minutes     Don’t grind them too much as you want the filling to still have chunks of nuts, and not turned into a paste Molding and Baking the Maamoul     Scoop about 1 tablespoon of maamoul dough, place in the palm of your hand and flatten it to a thickness of 1/3 inch     Add about 1 heaping teaspoon of fillings to its center then bind the edges together and close the dough on the fillings, as in the photos     Place the dough in the wooden maamoul mold, press it gently with your fingers until it becomes even with the mold surface and add more dough to even it out if needed.     Slam the wooden mold’s edge on a cutting board a couple of times until the molded maamoul drops out of it     If you don’t have a traditional wooden mold, you can use a metal cookie molding/cookie cutter to mold the dough.     Place molded maamoul on an aluminum foil or cookie tray that has been dusted with regular flour, semolina, or even slightly buttered     Bake at 430F for 13-15 minutes, or until the maamoul begins to turn slightly pinkish/reddish     As soon as you take them out of the oven and while still hot, place powdered sugar inside a strainer and sift/shake on top of the maamouls to fully cover them. The powdered sugar will eventually melt and turn a bit glazed.     Let cool down at room temperature, and then sprinkle some more powdered sugar until fully covered     Your maamoul is now ready to be devoured. You can keep them in an airtight container for a few days at room temperature or in the fridge. Variations Optional for the adventurous: If you have Acacia incense (Gum Arabic, aka “Bakhoor”) handy, you can burn a bit of it in the pot that you’re going use to warm the rose water for the maamoul dough. This gives a subtle but complex traditional flavoring to the dough. Preparation time: 1 hour(s) 30 minute(s) Cooking time: 15 minute(s) Number of servings (yield): 30 Culinary tradition: Middle Eastern