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Soft Almond Cookies
(Makroud el Louse)
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| What You Need: |
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2˝ pounds blanched whole almonds, finely pulverized in a nut grinder or with a mortar and pestle (6 cups)
2˝ cups sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel
4 eggs
2 cups cold water
1 tablespoon orange-blossom water
4 cups confectioners' sugar
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a deep bowl, stir the almonds, 2 cups of the sugar and the lemon peel together until they are well blended. Make a well in the center, drop in the eggs and, with a wooden spoon, slowly stir the ingredients together. Continue to stir until the mixture is smooth.
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2. Divide the mixture into quarters. On a heavily floured surface, roll each quarter with the palms of your hands into a cylinder about 18 inches long and 1˝ inches in diameter. Flour your hands constantly as you roll the dough to prevent it from sticking to your fingers.
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3. Flatten each cylinder into an oblong about 2 inches wide and, holding a sharp knife at a 45-degree angle, cut each cylinder diagonally into 1˝- inch-thick slices.
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4. Dust the slices with flour, place them about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets, and bake in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cookies just begin to color. Dust off any excess flour with a pastry brush and transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.
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5. Meanwhile, prepare the syrup in the following fashion: Combine the remaining ˝ cup of sugar and the water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves.
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6. Cook briskly, uncovered and undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Pour the syrup into a shallow bowl and when it has cooled to room temperature, stir in the tablespoon of orange-blossom water.
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7. Spread the confectioners' sugar in a large shallow pan or on paper towels.Dip the cookies one at a time into the syrup and, when they are coated on both sides, roll them in the confectioners' sugar.
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8. Set the cookies aside on paper towels to dry. In tightly covered jarsor tins, the cookies canbe kept for several months.
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| Serving Size: about 6 dozen cookies |
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