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Ma'amoul Med Bil Ashta (Cookie Bars With Clotted Cream Filling and Orange Blossom Syrup)
Chef Reem Assil's cookie bar version of ma'amoul—a holiday cookie enjoyed for Eid, Christmas, and Easter—is scented with espresso and orange blossom water.
👥 24 Servings👤 Reem Assil📖 epicurious
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●pot
- ●saucepan
- ●bowl
- ●colander
- ●whisk
- ●stove
- ●wooden spoon
- ●oven
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Clotted cream
2
To make the clotted cream, line a colander or sieve with cheesecloth and set over a bowl. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk until just before a boil. Stir the bottom of the pot occasionally to make sure the milk isn't scalding. Just before the milk boils, stir in 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the rose and orange blossom waters, lemon juice, and vinegar. The milk should immediately begin forming clots. Turn down the heat to the lowest setting.
. sugar2 Tbspsugar2 cups(200g) melted clarified butter or softened ghee1 cupwater1 cup
3
Using a slotted spoon, collect the clots of milk from the surface and place them into the prepared colander. Continue collecting the clots, until the milk that remains looks thin and pale and takes on a yellowish hue. If needed, add a few more teaspoons of lemon juice to induce further clotting.
4
Pour out and discard the whey (you could save this for another purpose, such as using it in a smoothie, but that's up to you). Remove the pot from the heat and add the cream, cornstarch and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, then return the pot to the stove and bring to a boil on medium heat, whisking until the mixture thickens, about ⏱️ 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Allow to cool slightly, then add to the strained clotted cream and whisk well, until it forms a thickened spread. If it's still clumpy, pass the clotted cream through a fine-mesh sieve. Put into a bowl and cover directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for at least ⏱️ 1 hour before using.
. sugar2 Tbspsugar2 cups(200g) melted clarified butter or softened ghee1 cup
5
If not using right away, the clotted cream can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
6
Attar (Blossom Syrup)
7
Combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a medium pot and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Decrease the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the syrup thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about ⏱️ 7 minutes. Add the orange blossom and rose waters and cook for ⏱️ 3 minutes more. Set aside to cool.
. sugar2 Tbspsugar2 cups(200g) melted clarified butter or softened ghee1 cup½ tsp. rose water1water1 cup. orange blossom water1 Tbsp. rose water1 Tbsp
8
Dough and assembly
9
In a medium bowl, combine the flours, salt, sugar, mahlab, and yeast. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and mix by hand or in a mixer until it forms a paste. Cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel and set aside to rest for ⏱️ 30 minutes.
. sugar2 Tbspsugar2 cups(200g) melted clarified butter or softened ghee1 cup
10
After ⏱️ 30 minutes, the dough will have hardened, so use a wooden spoon or other utensil such as a dough cutter to break up the dough a bit. Pour the milk and orange blossom water into the flour mixture and mix until smooth. Let stand at room temperature for another ⏱️ 30 minutes or up to ⏱️ 4 hours.
½ tsp. rose water1water1 cup. orange blossom water1 Tbsp. rose water1 Tbsp(200g) melted clarified butter or softened ghee1 cup
11
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Cut four sheets of parchment paper to fit an 8 by 11-inch sheet tray. Form the dough into a ball and divide it into 2 equal parts.
12
Press half the dough onto one of the sheets of parchment. Layer a second piece of parchment on top and, using a rolling pin, roll an even ¼-inch crust to the paper’s edges. Remove the top layer of parchment and flip the dough into the sheet tray. Re-use the sheets of parchment and roll out the second ball of dough. Set aside.
13
Spread the clotted cream on the bottom layer of dough. Top with a second layer of rolled dough. Press gently and transfer the sheet tray to the oven and bake, rotating the tray once, until the bars are light golden brown on the edges, 30 to ⏱️ 35 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and immediately drizzle ½ cup syrup over the top and sprinkle with the pistachios. Allow to set for ⏱️ 15 minutes at room temperature. When it's cool enough to touch, cut the bars into 2-inch squares and serve. The bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
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