“Middle Eastern ma’akaroon have nothing to do with French macarons,” says chef Sami Tamimi. “The Middle Eastern ones are traditionally made from semolina, olive oil and aniseed and are deep-fried before being drenched in sugar syrup,” he says. “Here is a slightly healthier way of making these buttery cookies, which are pretty easy to make.”
Ma’akaroon (lemon and pistachio cookies)
Makes: 15
Ingredients:
125g pistachios, finely ground
125g ground almonds
100g caster sugar
½ tsp mastic, ground
¼ tsp baking powder
Salt
2 tsp finely chopped preserved lemon
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tbsp runny honey
1 egg, lightly whisked
15g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2-3 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
Method:
1. Put the ground pistachios, ground almonds, sugar, mastic, baking powder and ⅛ teaspoon of salt into a large mixing bowl and mix well, just enough to combine everything together. Add the preserved lemon, lemon zest, vanilla, honey, egg and butter and give everything a good mix, using a wooden spoon or spatula. The mixture should be slightly sticky.
2. Place the icing sugar on a large plate and start rolling the batter into walnut-size balls, about 30g each. Gently roll the balls in the icing sugar, making sure that they are well coated on all sides. Arrange on a large oven tray lined with baking parchment, evenly spaced out. Cover the tray and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 175°C fan and bake the cookies for 10–12 minutes, or until they start to get a bit of colour. Leave them to cool completely before serving.
(Once the cookies have been rolled, they can be kept in the freezer, in an airtight container, for a few weeks. When they are already baked, they will keep in an airtight container for five days).
Recipe from ‘Boustany’ by Sami Tamimi (Ebury, £30).
