Recipes

There is many traditions for my family. One of these traditions our celebration of Eid al-fitr. After the end of Ramadan fasting usually we do many things for enjoying this special day include: buy new clothes, visit the graves, make special meal it calls (Lamb hook), make special dessert it calls (Kaek), the kids receive money and the most important thing is Eid prayer. Also we visit relatives and neighbors to share beautiful times together.

Kaek(Ma'amoul) recipe:

Ma'amoul dough ingredients:

1. 3 kilogram and 200 gram of fine semolina no.1.
2. 2.5 cups of powder sugar.
3. 1 litre and 2 cups too of melted margarine.
4. 2 table spoon of Mahlab kind of spices it taste like cherries, a bit like roses, a bit like almond.
5. 2 table spoon of Daqet kaek kind of spices it mix between Cinnamon, turmeric, schumer, and the basic is nutmeg.
6. 1 table spoon of Mistika powder(it is excreted by the resin Glands of certain trees and dries into pieces of brittle.
7. 2 table spoon of baking powder.
8. 5.0 cup of rose water.
9. 4 cups of warm water.

For fillings:

1. 2 kilogram of date paste. Add with date 1 table spoon of cinnamon, 1 table spoon of anise powder and 2 table spoon of soft butter mix together make small balls shapes to put dates in the center of dough.
2. 200 gram of walnut paste with 1 table spoon of powder sugar and 1 tea spoon of cinnamon mix together with 2 table spoon of Maple syrup.

Instructions:

Kaek Ma'amoul dough preparation:

1. Mix the fine semolina along with 2.5 cups of powder sugar with hands.
2. Melt the margarine on low heat, let ^cool down then pour on top of the semolina mix and work it with your hands into a paste. You can also use a food processor and knead for (4_ 5) minutes on low speed.
3. Add Mahlab, Daqet kaek and Mistika together on the semolina .And then mix together by your hands softly for 5 minutes.
4. You should now have a nice dough that needs about 2 days of rest covered at room temperature. After one day {of} rest remix the dough a little bit by your hands to make sure the semolina absorbed all margarine(fat vegetable).
5. After 2 days, add 2 table spoon of baking powder and mix softly and then add 0.5 cup of rose water mix after this add warm water slowly knead the dough to be soft and flexible with work.
6. Divide the dough into small pieces and then put 1 date ball in the center of piece and make shape like a flower we can use copper Ma'amoul tongs to decorate.
7. Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit. Put baking trays in the middle of oven for 7 minutes bottom of the kaek. And then set the oven on the broil to broil the top of kaek to golden color becomes.

*Finally leave the kaek to cool down and then put them in a tupperware to keep them soft and moist you can also sprinkle them with powder sugar .

Note: I make a large quantity because, usually I share these cookies with my family, friends, and my neighbors to do something nice for them.

Also it is a good idea to celebrate Eid al-fitr.