Moroccan cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Makrout el Louz

Semolina diamonds filled with soft almond paste, deep-fried golden and soaked hot in blossom honey.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 300 g fine semolina
• 80 g butter
• 1 pinch salt
• 120 ml lukewarm milk
• 250 g ground almonds
• 120 g powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp orange blossom water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 400 g honey
• 600 ml frying oil

Instructions

1. Rub the semolina together with the melted butter and the salt until sandy-moist, then let this mixture rest for 30 min so the grains can swell.
2. For the filling, knead the ground almonds with the powdered sugar, cinnamon, 1 tbsp orange blossom water and the egg into a pliable paste, then shape into finger-thick rolls.
3. Gradually knead the semolina with the lukewarm milk and the remaining orange blossom water into a smooth, non-sticky dough — work it only until it holds together.
4. Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a 1 cm thick band, lay the almond rolls in the center, fold the dough over and cut the band diagonally into 4 cm wide diamonds.
5. Heat the frying oil to 160°C and fry the diamonds in batches for 4–5 min until golden, turning once — too high a heat leaves them raw inside.
6. Warm the honey gently in a wide pot, let the hot makrout soak in it for 3 min, drain and serve with mint tea.