Best Algerian Helouwa Taaba Lemon Or Sesame Cookies Recipes

MAKROUD EL LOUSE (ALGERIAN ALMOND COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place the almonds and sugar in a food processor and process until the almonds are finely pulverized. Remove to a bowl.
• Make a well in the center of the almonds and stir in the eggs with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. Then knead the dough with clean hands until smooth.
• Cut the dough into 4 equal portions and remove to a floured work surface. Roll one portion out into a rope about 3/4 inch in diameter. Press down with your palm to flatten the rope to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut the rope on a diagonal into 1-inch pieces and remove to an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Bake cookies for about 12-15 minutes, or until they are lightly browned on top. Remove to racks and cool completely.
• While the cookies bake, bring the water and 1/2 cup sugar to a rapid boil in a saucepan over high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar and let boil for 10-15 minutes. Remove and cool to room temperature. Stir in the orange flower water.
• Put powdered sugar in a large bowl. To finish, dip each cookie first in the sugar syrup to wet. Then toss each cookie in the confectioner's sugar to coat well. Place on a rack to dry and repeat with the rest of the cookies.
• Variations:.
• Add 1 tablespoon lemon zest to the almond dough if you like.
• If you are unable to find orange flower water to flavor the syrup, try using 1 teaspoon of lemon essence instead.

ALGERIAN HARRISSA - NOT A CHILLI SAUCE BUT A SWEET!

Steps:

• Place the almonds, sugar orange blossom water & margarine in a food processor & mix to form a firm paste.
• Split paste into 3 equal parts. Leave one natural and mix colouring into the other 2. Dust surfaces with cornflour. Roll paste into 3 long sausages then plait together. If using coconut, you'll not be able to plait them so lay them next to each other, then gently push them together so they stick to each other.
• Dust hands with a little cornflour and form the paste into as many little balls as you can get ( a little larger than a Malteser). Lightly press the top of each ball into s little sugar.
• With a matchstick or similar, make a indentation in the middle of the ball. Take a screw top from a bottle (coke etc) and gently press the rim of the top, starting from the middle and rolling the top out so that you get a little arc.
• Repeat this until you have covered the ball - usually 6 or so top marks. You should have what looks like a flower.
• Place a silver ball, piece of cherry or angelica etc into the centre of the flower. Place the harrissa into tiny sweet cases to serve.
• As an alternative. Instead of plaiting the paste, roll out and layer then cut into lozenge/diamond shapes.

KHOBZ TUNIS - ALGERIAN HELOUWA - MY FAMILY RECIPE

Steps:

• For the syrup:.
• Put the sugar and the water into a large pan and boil for approx 10-15 minutes. Add the mazhar during the last couple of minutes. Allow to cool of slightly before pouring onto the khobz.
• For the Khobz:.
• If making ground almonds at home - preferable - please coarsely chop them in a food processor until you have pieces the size of sago or large cous cous for example (ie not too fine).
• With an electric whisk, beat the eggs until fluffy. Incorporate the sugar and butter into the eggs, whisking for at least 5 minutes.
• Fold in the ground almonds, bread/toast, baking powder, lemon zest and vanilla essence. Take care not to knock the air out of the mixture.
• Pour into a round metal tin approximately 50cm across and 35cm high. and level off. Cook in preheated oven at gas mark 5-6 for 40 minutes or until brown & a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
• Once cooked, turn off oven. Remove the Khobz and pour the syrup over the top. Return the khobz to the oven for 5 mins - not to cook further only to aid absorbtion of the syrup.
• Remove from oven and using diagonal cuts, cut the khobz tunis to make diamond shapes approximately 1.5'' in diameter. Put into metallic paper cases (so syrup doesn't soak through) or serve without cases.

MY HALWA SHEBAKIA -- SPECIAL RAMADAN SESAME COOKIES

Steps:

• In a food processor process all the ingredients, except the honey, into a paste.
• Take a walnut-sized piece of paste and roll it out very thin. Using a metal cut-out typically found in Morocco, with different designs, a small shaped cookie cutter, pie crust/ravioli wheel or knife and cut out cookies and let them rise for 15 minutes. If not using a cookie cutter which I don't, simply cut strips and twist them into a spiral or figure 8. I do the figure 8 making sure it is secure by slightly pinching in 2-3 places.
• Deep-fry the cookies in a skillet or fryer in the remaining oil in batches over low heat just to brown.
• 3-Soak the cookies in the honey for 15 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Let sit until the honey sets a bit.
• Store in a plastic bag or container.
• One person emailed me when this was posted on my website stating that her cookies fell apart in frying. This should not happen though if it does, 5g of gum arabic may be added to the recipe at processing stage or re-processed briefly to add.

PORTUGUESE WASHBOARD COOKIES (LAVADORES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Mix the butter with 1 cup of the sugar on medium high-speed for 1 minute. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each, until the mixture is fluffy and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon rind.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder & salt to combine. Fold the flour into the butter mixture using a spatula, mixing well. Gently knead the dough in the bowl for about 5 minutes.
• Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a shallow dish. Using a small cookie scoop, shape pieces of dough into balls, then roll in the sugar. Place the cookes on a parchment lined or lightly greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Flatten the cookies gently using the tines of a fork or make the horizontal lines.
• Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, or until a light golden colour. I like to rotate the cookie trays from top to bottom, halfway through the cooking process.
• Cool on the cookie trays for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy.

ALGERIAN HELOUWA TA'ABA (LEMON OR SESAME COOKIES)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the eggs & the oil.
• Add the baking powder (& lemon zest if using), & slowly add the flour, mixing the ingredients with your hands until a dough forms. You will probably not need all of the flour.
• Once you have a firm dough, you can shape your helouwa.
• To shape, you have 2 choices: you can roll out to 5mm thickness & cut out with your favourite cookie cutters OR you can roll into a 1cm thick 'sausage' & make rings & straight lengths them decorate with a 'Nakkach' or fork if you don't have one. (See photos).
• If making the sesame version, once you have cut out all your cookies, brush a little beaten egg over the top of the cookies & sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
• Place on a tray lined with aluminium foil (shiny side up) & bake for 25-28 minutes. The cookies should be pale but hard when tapped. (Unless you want them soft on the inside, in which case you should take them out after 20 minutes).
• Allow to cool then store in an airtight container for upto 2 weeks.