Texture seekers and corner-piece hoarders, this recipe is for you. While the beloved Middle Eastern dessert knafeh is usually made in a large round tray, here it’s baked in a muffin tin so that every serving contains more crispy-crunchy, ghee-soaked pastry. Never fear: There’s still plenty of cheese in the middle of each one. Usually, that’s a mix of Arabic cheeses, but in this version, it’s a mix of creamy ricotta and stretchy mozzarella. Food coloring provides the iconic bright orange appearance, but if you skip it, you’ll still get a subtle golden hue. Pro tip: Freeze the shaped knafeh (disposable pans work great for this) and bake them from frozen, adding 3–5 minutes to the cook time.
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What you’ll need
Muffin Pan
$10 $9 At Amazon
Box Grater
$12 At Amazon
Orange Food Coloring Powder
$14 At Amazon
Small Saucepan
$155 At Amazon
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 24
Ingredients
12
6
1
½
1
1
1
1
¼
¼
Special equipment
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Mix mozzarella and ricotta in a medium bowl to combine; set aside.
Step 2
Place ghee and salt in a small bowl. Add food coloring, if using, to achieve your desired hue (medium orange is a good aim; the color will intensify when the knafeh are baked) and mix vigorously to combine (water-based food coloring won’t completely dissolve into the ghee and that’s okay).
Step 3
Using a sharp knife, cut kataifi into 1" pieces and place in a large bowl. Tear strands apart with your hands to separate. Using gloves if desired (the food coloring can stain your hands), pour ghee mixture over kataifi and toss and rub strands until completely coated in ghee. (If using water-based food coloring, it may take some extra time to fully disperse it.)
Step 4
Working one at a time, scoop about ¼ cup kataifi mixture into each cup of 2 standard 12-cup muffin pans. Using your hands, pack into cups and create a well for cheese mixture (it should look similar to a bird’s nest). Place a heaping 1 Tbsp. cheese mixture into each well, doing your best to keep cheese centered and away from sides of pan. Divide remaining kataifi mixture among muffin cups (about a packed 1 Tbsp. each) and press down on it with your palm or a spoon to pack. Kataifi mixture should be level or almost level with top of pan and cheese mixture should be barely visible. Bake until crisp, 15–20 minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, bring sugar, lemon juice, rose water (if using), and ¾ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat; set syrup aside.
Step 6
Remove knafeh from oven. Place an inverted baking sheet over a muffin pan and carefully flip over to unmold knafeh. Repeat with second muffin pan and another baking sheet.
Step 7
To serve, spoon 1–2 Tbsp. reserved syrup over each warm knafeh; top with pistachios and dried rose petals (if using).
Do ahead: Knafeh can be formed 3 months ahead. Tightly wrap muffin pans in plastic and freeze.