Makrut Ellouz (Arabic ู ูุฑูุท ุงูููุฒ ) are Almond ( Arabic ุงูููุฒ ) cookies cut into diamond shapes and a diamond shape in Arabic is called ู ูุฑูุท – pronounced Makrut in English and Makrout in Frensh. The name of these sweets derived from their shape and main content (Almond).
These cookies are present in major celebrations in Algeria such as weddings, engagements and Eid El Fitr ( which is the celebration of the end of fasting or Ramadan).
Makrut or Makrout Ellouz are fancy cookies, mainly made of almond and coated with powdered sugar.
The preparation time in this recipe didnโt include the chilling time of the dough and the time needed for the cookies to cool completely.
The number of cookies obtained depends on their size.
please see video recipe here: https://youtu.be/YHQMBrhLKYE
๐ฉ๐ฟ Algerian Almond Cookies Coated with Powdered Sugar – Makrut Ellouz
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- Zests of 2 lemons
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour to shape the cookies
Syrup
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
Instructions
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In a large bowl, mix with hands almond flour, sugar, lemon zests and melted butter.
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Beat the 2 eggs in a small bowl and add the eggs, little by little to the almond flour mixture.
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Mix with your hand until obtain a little sticky (the sugar starts to dissolve), soft dough. I have used 2 small eggs in this recipe but depending of your eggs, you may need to use more or less.
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Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours minimum, preferably overnight.
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Prepare the syrup by putting the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
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Let it boil for 10 minutes, then add the tablespoon of orange blossom water and turn off the heat. Set aside.
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Flour your working board and roll out the dough into a log of about 1 inch diameter.
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Use a knife to cut out the log into diamond shapes.
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Place the cut out pieces in a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
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Bake in a 350 ยฐF preheated oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. Let completely cool.
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Dip the cookies in the syrup, then place them on a cooling rack (put the rack on a tray to catch the drips).
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Place the cookies in a bowl of powdered sugar ( sifted). Make sure to coat them well.
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Leave the cookies in that bowl of powdered sugar for few minutes (about 10 minutes).
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Gently take out excess sugar with your hands and smooth out the surface.
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Sift a little powdered sugar on top for a beautiful finish.
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Serve with tea or coffee.
Recipe Notes
- I have used US measuring cup in this recipe.
- You can use any measuring cup ( 1/3 cup for example).
- These cookies are pronounced Makrut Ellouz in English and pronounced Makrout Ellouz in French.ย
- I recommend chilling the dough to allow sugar to dissolve but If you are in a hurry, you can skip the chilling of the dough.ย
- The almond dough in this recipe is the same as the one in Mkhabez cookies.
