Pistachio and Date Maamoul

Ingredients

• flour
• ghee
• simple syrup
• crushed pistachios
• a little powdered sugar
• mahlab
• walnuts
• coconut

Instructions

1. In the dough bowl, mix the flour with the ghee only until combined.
2. Place the dough bowl in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to rest.
3. In the filling bowl, mix the pistachios with ghee, orange blossom water, simple syrup, and a little powdered sugar until the filling holds together.
4. In the filling bowl, mix the date paste with a little ghee; according to the chef, 2 tablespoons of simple syrup may be added, until the filling becomes a paste.
5. In the dough bowl, add iced water, sugar, and simple syrup to the rested dough.
6. In the dough bowl, press the dough with your fingers from the bottom upward until it absorbs the liquids.
7. Place the dough in a baking tray, then place the tray in the refrigerator for half an hour.
8. On the work surface, sprinkle a little flour over the dough to make shaping easier.
9. Shape the pistachio-filled or date-paste-filled disc in the mold or with a fork, as described by the chef.
10. Place the shaped discs in a baking tray, then refrigerate the tray until ready to bake.
11. Preheat the oven with top and bottom heat to 250 degrees.
12. Place the tray on the middle rack of the oven.
13. Bake the maamoul until the color begins to turn golden.
14. Remove the tray from the oven and let the maamoul cool before touching it so it does not crumble.