Powdered Walnut and Pistachio Maamoul: a complete home recipe

COOK IT AT HOME

Powdered Walnut and Pistachio Maamoul

One tender semolina dough encloses two clearly separated nut fillings: cinnamon-scented walnut and floral pistachio. Different shapes make the finished cookies easy to identify before the powdered sugar is added.

Makes

20 cookies: 10 walnut and 10 pistachio

Prep

45 minutes

Cook

22 minutes

Additional time

Rest dough for 1 hour; cool cookies for 45 minutes.

A home-kitchen recipe to accompany this guide. Ingredient brands and equipment can change cooking times; use the texture and doneness cues below.

Ingredients

• 200 g fine semolina
• 150 g all-purpose flour, plus 10 g for dusting molds
• 40 g powdered sugar for dough
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 170 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 70 ml milk, plus up to 2 teaspoons only if the rested dough cracks
• 1 tablespoon orange-blossom water for dough
• 90 g walnuts, finely chopped
• 90 g unsalted pistachios, finely chopped
• 40 g granulated sugar, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons rose water, divided
• 25 g powdered sugar for finishing

Step-by-step method

1. Mix semolina, 150 g flour, dough sugar and salt. Rub in cooled melted butter, then work in milk and orange-blossom water just until a soft dough forms. Cover and rest for 1 hour so the semolina hydrates.
2. Mix walnuts with 20 g granulated sugar, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon rose water. In a separate bowl, mix pistachios with the remaining sugar and rose water. The fillings should be damp crumbs, not wet pastes. Keep two separate spoons so the varieties remain identifiable.
3. Heat the oven to 350°F/175°C and line two trays. Divide dough into 20 pieces. Flatten one into a 7 cm disk, add one-tenth of the chosen nut filling, draw the edges together and pinch closed without leaving nut fragments in the seam.
4. Press seam-side up into a lightly floured mold and tap out, or form a rounded walnut cookie and an oval pistachio cookie by hand. Repeat with all dough and fillings. Use only the reserved 10 g flour for light dusting rather than coating the dough heavily.
5. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the bases are pale golden and the tops set. Cool on the trays for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a rack. Cool completely before sifting the finishing powdered sugar over the cookies; warm cookies melt it into a glaze.

Helpful tips & substitutions

• If rested dough cracks, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time, up to 2 teaspoons. If sticky, chill it briefly instead of adding large amounts of flour.
• For one flavor only, use 180 g of that nut with all 40 g filling sugar and both teaspoons rose water; use 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon for an all-walnut batch. Both versions contain tree nuts.

Storage & make-ahead

Store completely cool cookies airtight for up to 4 days in a cool room. Freeze without the finishing sugar for up to 2 months, thaw covered and dust before serving.

How to serve it

Pair with unsweetened coffee or tea. Use separate serving labels for walnut and pistachio, but do not claim either is free of the other nut when prepared with shared equipment.