Vegan Date & Walnut Maamoul Bars
Traditional maamoul is a beloved Middle Eastern pastry that usually relies on clarified butter or ghee for its signature crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture — but cold vegan butter works beautifully here, giving the semolina-and-flour dough that same sandy, tender crumb without any animal products. The filling is where things get truly special: plump Medjool dates and walnuts are pulsed with cinnamon, cardamom, and a splash of rose water into a fragrant, slightly chunky paste that perfumes the whole kitchen as it bakes. Rose water and orange blossom water in the dough itself add a delicate floral depth that makes every bite feel genuinely celebratory. Pressed into a 9×9 pan and baked until just golden, the bars are sturdy enough to slice cleanly into 16 squares yet still wonderfully soft inside. A light dusting of powdered sugar on top is optional, but it gives them that classic maamoul finish that looks stunning on a dessert plate. These are the kind of bars that disappear fast at gatherings, and nobody needs to know how straightforward the process actually is.
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Learn more →Ingredients
16 servings
For the dough
- 1 cup fine semolina
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- ½ cup vegan butter, cold, cut into small cubes
- 2 tbsp rose water
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- 2 tbsp cold water, plus more as needed
For the filling
- 2 cups medjool dates, pitted (about 12–14 dates)
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tbsp rose water
For serving
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the semolina, all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Add the cold cubed vegan butter and work it in with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse, damp sand with no large butter pieces remaining.
- 2
Drizzle in the rose water, orange blossom water, and 2 tbsp cold water. Stir with a fork, then press the dough together with your hands until it just holds when squeezed — it should feel like wet sand that clumps. If it crumbles apart, add cold water 1 tsp at a time. Do not overwork. Cover the bowl and rest the dough at room temperature for 30 minutes so the semolina can fully hydrate.
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