retro redo
MA’AMOUL
AWARD-WINNING BAKING BLOGGERMAJED ALI OF THE CINNAMAN HAS BUILTA REPUTATION ON PUTTING UNIQUE MIDDLE EASTERN TWISTS ON CLASSICBAKED GOODS. HERE, HE CHANGES THINGS UP AND PUTS A FRESH, MODERNSPIN ON ANCIENT MIDDLE EASTERN COOKIE, ONE OF HIS MOST CHERISHEDRECIPES FROM CHILDHOOD.W
hen I was a growing up, I hardly acknowledged the dates of holidays we
celebrated at home where I was raised in the city of Ajman, located along
the Persian Gulf in the United Arab Emirates. I was too oblivious and
innocent to comprehend how the calendar mapped out the whole year, so instead, I
remembered the time of year based on the food my parents would make. Food, you
see, was always the indicator of which occasion was nearing. Every year in the late
springtime, my mother would make ma’amoul for Ramadan. These not-too-sweet
cookies are like little pockets of deliciousness packed with a surprise center fi lling
made with walnuts or dates and enjoyed with morning coff ee or as dessert.I was always mesmerized by my mother’s dexterity and fl uidity as she baked
them. It was as if she was casting a spell as everything, from the crumbly dough
to the sweet fi lling, seemed to come together to make these thick golden
cookies. I can still see her now, knocking on the wooden molds, and the beautiful
cookies with an intricate arabesque pattern that would emerge. As they baked,
the smell of the aromatic rose water-scented dough would fi ll the entire house.I used to sneak two or three (because one is not enough), completely
neglecting the fact that my mother counted them. She would let it go until
the moment her eyes fell on the traces of confectioners’ sugar and crumbs
I had left all over her favorite Persian carpet. Today, I play with ma’amoul’s
traditional fl avors and fi llings, but I take comfort in the fact that my
memories of baking the classic version with my mom will
never change.—Majed Ali,
Dubai, United Arab Emirates