ma'amoul

Delicious little crumbly nutty pastries.  Made with vegetable shortening these would be suitable for vegans or those with dairy intolerance. Thanks to Lorna Spenceley for the recipe.

 

170g semolina

150g fat (vegetable shortening or butter)

115ml boiling water

75g sugar

80g ground walnuts (or almonds, pistachios or a mixture)

5 ml rose water

Icing sugar to dust

 

Place the semolina in a bowl, and cut in the fat - I used my food processor, but you could do it by hand. Pour in boiling water, and mix until well blended into a solid dough. Cover and stand in a cool place for at least an hour.

 

Mix together the sugar, ground nuts, and rose water and blend to a paste. 

 

Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Grease a baking sheet or line with baking parchment. Knead dough again briefly, and form into walnut sized balls. Make a hole in the centre of each ball using your finger. Fill the hole with the nut mixture, and seal the dough up over it. Neaten up the balls and place at least 1 inch apart onto the prepared baking sheet.

 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned (mine took about twice as long as this in the Aga, and I moved them half way through from the baking oven to the - hotter - roasting oven).  Dust with icing sugar and serve while still warm.