Celebrate Eid Al-Adha

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By Mrs. Farnham (teacher, mom, CMoR member)

Eid Al-Adha will occur on July 19 and 20th this year. You may have heard of the Muslim holiday of Eid before, but did you know that there are actually two different holidays referred to as Eid? 

Eid Al-Fitr was celebrated in May this year and marked the end of Ramadan. Eid Al-Adha is sometimes called the Greater Eid and is a very important holiday that is celebrated around the world. The festival and feast around Eid Al-Adha commemorate sacrifice in honor of Allah. During Eid Al-Adha (as with Ramadan), families focus on giving to those less fortunate. 

To learn more with your children, watch this great clip from Peg and Cat.

After learning about Eid Al-Adha, my children wanted to make something that is associated with the holiday. My family loves to try new foods and seeing how food connects cultures so we searched for a recipe.

Maamoul Cookie Recipe

Maamoul are traditional celebration cookies in many middle eastern countries. They are made during Eid and other holidays. Many recipes for Maamoul looked so delicious, but time consuming. I decided to adapt a recipe from Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking which looked more simple for baking with children.

Ingredients:

For the date filling:

1 cup pitted medjool dates, chopped

¼ cup of water

Pinch of salt

½ tsp of cinnamon

½ tsp of nutmeg

For the dough:

1 ¾ cups of all purpose flour

¼ cup of oat flour

½ cup of sugar

1 tsp baking powder

¾ cup of softened, sliced butter

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp rose water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the dates, water, and salt. 

4. Stir and mash the dates as they cook until they become a paste.
5. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg to the paste and put aside to cool.
6. In a food processor, combine the flours, sugar, and baking powder until mixed.
7. Add the slices of butter to the flour mixture one at a time while the processor is running.
8. After the butter is mixed in, add the milk and rose water until the dough forms a ball in the processor.

9. Take out the dough and separate into 15 equally sized balls.

10. Flatten each ball and pinch the sides to make a bowl shape.
11. Add some date filling to each cookie and pinch the sides together to seal in the filling.
12. Place each cookie seam side down on the parchment paper (we kind of forgot this step!).

13. Prick the top of the cookies with a fork to make a pattern.
14. Bake until golden – about 25 minutes.
15. Dust with powdered sugar while still warm.

These cookies were fun to make and delicious! After baking, we talked about how families divide and share their food during Eid Al-Adha. We divided our 15 cookies into 3 equal groups and discussed the value of sharing fairly with others. What a beautiful holiday with a great math connection!

Holidays at CMoR

Have you ever visited CMoR in December? The museum hosts a multicultural display each year. Last year, my family enjoyed the holiday house displays. Take a peek here to see what you can expect in December!

Be sure to share this post and your Maamoul with us on Facebook or Instagram! Eid Mubarak (Happy Eid)!