Host An Unforgettable Book Club Party

Armenian baked goods are quite a treat and these cookies, called mamoul, are no exception.  The egg-shaped mamoul is stuffed with a nut filling, baked to a light golden brown and dusted with powdered sugar after baking.  These cookies simply melt in your mouth.
Recipe adapted from The Cuisine of Armenia by Sonia Uvezian.

Inspired by The Sandcastle Girls

Prep Time: 40 minutes     Cook Time: 25 minutes     Yield: 3-1/2 to 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cups butter (1-1/2 sticks)
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup ground nuts, pistachios, walnuts, or pecans
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg white, beaten into stiff peaks
• 1 whole egg, beaten
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside.
2. Add the sugar, milk, and butter to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Stir until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted.  Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
3. While mixture is cooling, sift the flour and baking soda into a medium bowl and set aside.  Then prepare the nut filling by combining in a small bowl, the ground nuts, sugar cinnamon and stiff beaten egg white.  Set aside.
4. Once the sugar, milk, and butter mixture has cooled, transfer it to a large mixing bowl.  Beat in the whole egg until fully blended.  Gradually blend in the flour mixture until soft dough forms.  If mixture is sticky, then add a bit more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time until soft dough forms.
5. Pinch off a small portion of dough and roll into a 1-inch ball.  Place the dough ball on your palm and using your index finger, form a well in the dough ball by pressing in gently.  Using your index finger in the well and your thumb on the outside gently press your thumb and index finger together moving around the cookie to widen the well.  Fill the well with nut filling and bring the edges together and seal.  Gently flatten the dough ball just a bit to form an egg-shape and with the cookie seam side down place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining dough.
6. Bake cookies for about 20-25 minutes until cookies are just beginning to brown lightly on edges.  Allow cookies to cool about 5 minutes, then dust generously with powdered sugar.  Cool completely.

The cookies pictured above are walnut mamouls.  Pictured below are pistachio mamouls from Sevan Bakery in Watertown.  The pistachio mamoul is quite impressive with the green filling.  I think I will make a batch of these at Christmastime.

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