Algerian Sweets...Happy Eid!

Eid Mubarak to all the Muslim brothers and sisters celebrating all over the world :)

Here are some of the sweets me and my mother made for this Eid. If you want recipes, don't hesitate to ask :)

Maqrout Maqli (Stuffed with Dates)

Harissa

Ingredients:

2 cups finely ground blanched almonds

1 cup sugar

1 teacup of melted butter

Orange blossom water

Directions:

Pour the sugar in small saucepan. Cover it with orange blossom water. Let it boil over low heat for a few minutes. Then, pour butter on top. Add almonds and stir until the mixture becomes thick and doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. When you turn off the stove, use food coloring to color the harissa whichever way u want, while its in the pan.

Pour the mixture into a large plate. Let it cool for a little but not too long because if it gets hard, you wont be able to shape it. Shape into small balls and let harden over night.

Maqrout Allouz

Ingredients:

3 cups of ground blanched almonds

1 cup sugar (not filled to the brim)

Zest of two lemons

2-3 eggs (depends on the dough)

Directions:

Mix the dry ingredients together (almonds, sugar, and lemon zest). Then, you are going to add the eggs, one at a time to the mixture, kneading it together until a soft dough forms.

Sprinkle some flour over the table and roll the dough out. Cut it into diamond shapes, or which ever shape you prefer.

Before placing the cookies on the pan, put aluminum foil over the baking pan, and sprinkle some flour over it. Cook at 350 degrees, until their bottoms are slightly brown. Do not let them brown on top.

Let them cool.

For the icing, beat two egg whites until light and fluffy. Beat in two teaspoons of lemon juice and 3 tablespoons orange blossom water, and then add powdered sugar gradually, until the mixture becomes thick, like cake batter.

Dip the cookies in the icing and let them dry overnight. 

Baklawa

Ingredients:

3 cups of ground walnuts

1 cup of ground almonds

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

1 ½ cup sugar

Orange Blossom Water

1 pack of phyllo dough sheets

3 sticks of butter

For the syrup:

1 ½ cup sugar

1 ½ cup water

½ cup honey

Directions:

In a food processor, grind the walnuts and the almonds coarsely. Pour the ground walnuts and almonds in a bowl. Add cinnamon and sugar. Mix with your hands until well blended together.

Then, slowly add small amounts of orange blossom water and rake through the mixture with your fingers, just until the mixture is dampened, but not too wet.

Leave aside.

Then, butter a 12 by 16 inch baking pan with the melted butter. Divide the phyllo sheets into two equal piles. One sheet a time, layer one pile of the phyllo sheets in the pan, buttering generously between each sheet with a pastry brush or with your own hands.

Spread the walnut mixture on top of the first half of phyllo sheets. Repeat the same procedure with the second pile of phyllo sheets.

Then, cut the baklawa into diamonds, dipping the knife into hot water as you go for easier cutting. Pour any remaining butter over the sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for about half an hour. At 25 minutes, change to the top rack so that it will brown from the top

FOR THE SYRUP -- Mix sugar and water together and bring to a boil. Boil about 15-20 minutes. Remove syrup from heat, add orange blossom water and honey. Stir and let cool.

Samsa

And now i'm off to eat all of these delicious sweets! Toodles!