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1
Work the softened butter into the semolina with your hands until the fat is fully and evenly absorbed and no dry grain remains, so the fat coats each granule before any liquid is introduced, producing tenderness rather than structure. Add the icing sugar and mix through, then add the orange blossom or rose water and the liquid last, bringing the dough together gently — the dough will feel slightly loose. Cover and rest overnight at room temperature; by morning it will be cohesive, smooth, and workable, because the semolina grains need that full rest to drink in the fat and liquid evenly, whereas same-day dough stays grainy and cracks on forming.
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2
Prepare the chosen filling. For date: work pitted dates with orange blossom or rose water to a smooth, pliable paste. For walnut: combine finely chopped walnuts with sugar and cinnamon; for pistachio: use finely chopped pistachios without additional spice. Each filling must be firm enough to hold its shape when rolled into a ball, so it does not collapse or shift when you close the shell around it.
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3
Pinch off a portion of rested dough, form a ball, then press it into a cup in your palm, rotating steadily to open it into a thin, even shell approximately 4–5 mm thick — thin enough that the filling registers on the palate, thick enough that the wall does not crack. Work with patience here, because uneven pressure leaves thick patches that stay raw at the centre while the thin spots split. A shell that tears at this stage tells you the dough is under-hydrated or the walls have been worked too thin.
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4
Place a ball of filling at the centre of the shell. This is where the dish lives or dies: the ratio of shell to filling must be judged carefully, because too little dough leaves the cookie crumbling on release from the mould, while too much buries the filling so completely it disappears on the palate. Close the dough around the filling in one continuous motion, sealing without gaps, and roll gently to a smooth ball.
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5
Press the filled ball firmly into a decorative ma'amoul mould, spreading even pressure across the entire face so the pattern prints cleanly into every corner of the dough. Release with a single sharp tap against the work surface, because hesitation or a second tap blurs the impression that took the press to build. The released cookie should hold its shape without bulging at the seam or cracking along the edge.
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6
Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 160–170°C until just cooked through — pale on top, with the slightest gold at the base — keeping the oven modest so the surface stays white and the interior sets without drying out. Ma'amoul must not colour on the surface. Over-baking drives off the moisture that makes the crumb melt on the palate once cooled; pull them while they still feel just firm to the touch.
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7
Cool completely on the tray before moving, because warm ma'amoul are fragile and will break at the seam if handled too soon. Once fully cool and firm, dust generously with icing sugar. The finished cookie is pale beneath its sugar, melt-in-mouth in texture, with the filling flavour distinct at the centre.