Hijazi or ma'amoul

This Alexandrian dessert has a very delicious flavor and an aromatic smell that makes it very popular 
and one of the most famous oriental sweets in the region . I hope you enjoy preparing it .

Dough ingredients : 
2 cups white flour
2 cups semolina 
1/2 cup ghee
1/2 cup vegetable oil 
2 Tbsp sugar 
1 Tbsp dry active yeast+ 1 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt 
Lukewarm water or milk 
Stuffing ingredients: 
1 cup semolina 
1 cup sugar 
1/2 - 3/4 cup of ground walnuts ( or peanuts as preferred )
1/4 cup of water (and you can substitute 1 Tbs with orange blossom water)
1 Tbsp cinnamon 
Note: you can remove nuts completely from the recipe and replace it with 1/2 cup of semolina as I did .

Method : 
- mix the yeast with the sugar and 1/4 cup of warm water, cover and let it activate and rise .
- Mix white flour with semolina , sugar and salt .
- Melt the ghee and add it to the flour mix . Mix with your fingertips until all the ghee is absorbed.
- Add the yeast mixture then the water and start to knead until you have a dough similar to Ma'moul's one ( dates biscuits ) .
- Cover and let it rest in a warm place for 1 hour .
- To prepare the stuffing: add all ingredients then add the water gradually using a spoon , mix until you have a mixture that is similar to wet sand . 
- After the dough has completely rest, divide the quantity into two halves , one of them is a little bit bigger than the other.
- Bring one a flat tray with low edges, cover all areas with a wipe of ghee .
- Take the bigger half , spread in the baking tray equally , taking the edges up a little .
- Spread the stuffing all over equally .
- Using a sheet of parchment paper , spread the second half on it until flat and enough to cover the stuffing . 
- Flip over the baking tray , fix it until it covers the stuffing from all sides.
- Decorate the top with the back of the fork , cut and leave to rise for half an extra half of hour.
- Bake in a 180 degrees oven until the edges and top start to golden .
- Let it cool down then recut again on the same cut . 
- Serve with tea 
- Bon appetite #Hijazi_alexandrian #arabic_flavor#Egypt