Dessert

Makroudh

Name: Makroudh
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings (~16 pieces)
Ingredients: 300 g Couscous semolina; 80 g Butter; 250 g Dates; 2 tbsp Eau de fleur d'oranger; 100 g Honey; 50 g Sugar; 500 ml (for frying, or a little for the oven) Neutral oil

Preparation time: 1 h
Servings: 4 servings (~16 pieces)

Ingredients

4 servings (~16 pieces)

Couscous semolina — to buy300 g
Butter — to buy80 g
Dates — to buy250 g
Eau de fleur d'oranger — to buy2 tbsp
Honey — to buy100 g
Sugar — to buy50 g
Neutral oil — to buy500 ml (for frying, or a little for the oven)

Preparation

Pit the dates if needed and blend them with 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water until you get a smooth, pliable paste (ready-made date paste works very well too).
In a bowl, rub the semolina with the melted butter between your fingertips, until the semolina is well coated and sandy in texture — this step is what makes makroudh melt-in-the-mouth.
Gradually add a little warm water, just enough to bind a soft but not sticky dough. Cover with a cloth and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature: the semolina will fully hydrate.
Divide the dough in two, and roll out each half into a flat log about 6 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick on a floured counter.
Dig a trench down the center of each log with your finger or a spoon handle, fill it with the date paste rolled into a thin log, then close the semolina back over it to seal in the filling, and roll gently to seam it shut.
Cut into diamonds about 4 cm wide with a sharp knife (traditionally on the diagonal, for the characteristic makroudh shape).
Heat the frying oil to 170°C (340°F), fry the makroudh in small batches for 3-4 minutes until golden (or bake at 180°C/350°F for 20 minutes for a lighter version).
Meanwhile, gently warm the honey with the sugar and a little orange blossom water in a saucepan, until the sugar has dissolved.
Dip the hot makroudh in the warm syrup for a few seconds as soon as they come out of the fryer or oven, drain on a rack and let cool completely before serving: they soak up the syrup as they cool and become soft and moist.

Dessert

Makroudh

Preparation time: 1 h
Servings: 4 servings (~16 pieces)

Ingredients

4 servings (~16 pieces)

Couscous semolina — to buy300 g
Butter — to buy80 g
Dates — to buy250 g
Eau de fleur d'oranger — to buy2 tbsp
Honey — to buy100 g
Sugar — to buy50 g
Neutral oil — to buy500 ml (for frying, or a little for the oven)

Preparation

Pit the dates if needed and blend them with 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water until you get a smooth, pliable paste (ready-made date paste works very well too).
In a bowl, rub the semolina with the melted butter between your fingertips, until the semolina is well coated and sandy in texture — this step is what makes makroudh melt-in-the-mouth.
Gradually add a little warm water, just enough to bind a soft but not sticky dough. Cover with a cloth and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature: the semolina will fully hydrate.
Divide the dough in two, and roll out each half into a flat log about 6 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick on a floured counter.
Dig a trench down the center of each log with your finger or a spoon handle, fill it with the date paste rolled into a thin log, then close the semolina back over it to seal in the filling, and roll gently to seam it shut.
Cut into diamonds about 4 cm wide with a sharp knife (traditionally on the diagonal, for the characteristic makroudh shape).
Heat the frying oil to 170°C (340°F), fry the makroudh in small batches for 3-4 minutes until golden (or bake at 180°C/350°F for 20 minutes for a lighter version).
Meanwhile, gently warm the honey with the sugar and a little orange blossom water in a saucepan, until the sugar has dissolved.
Dip the hot makroudh in the warm syrup for a few seconds as soon as they come out of the fryer or oven, drain on a rack and let cool completely before serving: they soak up the syrup as they cool and become soft and moist.