Made with a rich date layer flavored with hints of cardamom and rose and sandwiched between crumbly layers of semolina and ghee, these date ma'amoul mad bars are oh so delicious.
Add the melted ghee and olive oil to the dry ingredients (coarse semolina, flour, sugar, and mahlab).
Mix well. The texture should feel like sand.
In a separate bowl, add warm milk and yeast.
Let the milk and yeast mixture sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, then add it to the flour mixture. Allow ma'amoul dough to rest for about 30 minutes.
Split the ma'amoul dough in half. Mix sesame and nigella seeds (if using), into the top layer ma'amoul dough.
If making the date paste from scratch, blend 2 ½ cups of pitted dates with 3 to 4 tablespoons of hot water using a hand immersion blender. Mix the date paste with cardamom and rosewater.
Transfer half of the dough to a greased baking pan (around 8"x8" (20 cm x 20 cm) or slightly larger), and press the dough in firmly with your hands.
Spread the date layer evenly on top.
Add sesame and nigella seeds to the other half of the dough (sesame and nigella seeds are optional), and crumble it on top of the date layer.
Press the crumbled ma'amoul dough gently until the date layer is completely covered.
Preheat your oven to 350 ℉ (180 ℃) and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden.
Let cool completely before slicing the ma'amoul mad into squares.