Mammoul-Arabic Festive cookies

Ingredients for the date filling:

2 cups chopped dates
2 tbsp sesame seeds3 tbsp of oil
½ tspn ground cinnamon or ground cardamom

Ingredients for the nut filling:

2 cups chopped walnuts or ground pistachios
¾ cups sugar
¼ cups of rose water or orange blossom water

Ingredients for the dough:

½ cup milk
1 cup butter
2 cups semolina
1 cup flour
¼ cups of sugar
2 tbsp orange blossom water

Directions for date filling:

*Mix the dates very well with the sesame seeds, oil and cinnamon or cardamom.
*Make the mixture into small balls around the size of a hazelnut.

Directions for the nut filling:
*Mix the nut mixture together with the sugar and the rose or orange blossom water together and set aside.

Directions for the dough:

*Place the butter and the milk on the burner on low heat until the butter melts.
*Mix the semolina, flour and the sugar together.
*Pour the milk and butter mixture on top of the flour mixture. Mix altogether then let rest until it is cool enough to handle.
*Spread the orange blossom water, and then fold the dough together so that all of the semolina and flour have soaked up the orange blossom water.
*Leave the dough mixture set for 8 hours. It is preferred to leave it rest for one complete day. *After letting the dough rest, you should be able to work with it. It should be able to come together easily.
*Make the dough into little balls the size of hazelnuts.
*Place your index finger in the middle and make an indentation for the filling. Place the filling of your choice inside the dough, close it and place in the cookie mold (you can find these at Arabic specialty stores) if you do not have the cookie molds you may use a for or a pattern.
*Place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the oven heat for at least 10 minutes before placing the cookies inside.
*Place the cookie sheet in the centre of the oven, let bake for 25 minutes or until the cookies change color and become a light color brown.
*Let the cookies cool. The cookies that have the nut mixture inside should be sprinkled with icing sugar. This way if you haven’t used different patterns for each stuffing then you will be able to tell which is which.