Ma'amool Bil Tamer (Date Cakes) is a traditional Saudi Arabian recipe (from Ridyadj) for a classic biscuit of semolina pastry filled with a date and butter puree that are oven-baked until golden and served cold. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Saudi Arabian version of: Date Cakes (Ma'amool Bil Tamer).
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Ingredients:
675g semolina
200g sugar
565g butter
boiling water
900g dates, pitted and puréed
icing sugar, to dust
Method:
Combine the semolina and sugar in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. In the meantime melt 450g of the butter in a pan and gently allow to come to a boil. Take off the heat and gradually mix the hot butter into the semolina mixture. Bring together as a dough and knead thoroughly. Transfer to an air-tight container (or wrap in clingfilm) and set aside to rest for at least 60 minutes before using.
In the meantime, soften the remaining butter then mix in the date purée and knead together until thoroughly blended.
Take out the pastry and add small amounts of boiling water to make the dough soft and pliable (best done with rubber gloves to protect your hands). Mould the pastry into small balls about 5cm in diameter. Hollow out the centre of the ball with your finger to form a shell about 6mm thick. Use a piece of date mixture to fill the hollow then flatten into a round. Use the pastry dug out to cover the date filling and seal by pressing the open ends of the dough together.
Transfer to a lightly-greased baking tray and repeat with the remaining mixtures. When done, transfer to an oven pre-heated to 210°C and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with icing sugar and allow to cool before storing or serving.
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