Lemon & Pistachio Cookies

Middle Eastern ma’akaroon have nothing to do with French macarons. The Middle Eastern ones are traditionally made from semolina, olive oil and aniseed and are deep-fried before being drenched in sugar syrup.

Here is a slightly healthier way of making these buttery cookies, which are pretty easy to make. I like to make a big batch of these and gift them at Christmas.  

Makes: 15

INGREDIENTS

• 125g pistachios, finely ground
• 125g ground almonds
• 100g caster sugar
• ½ tsp mastic, ground
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• salt
• 2 tsp finely chopped preserved lemon
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 15g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2-3 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
  
  

METHOD

1. Put the ground pistachios, ground almonds, sugar, mastic, baking powder and ⅛ teaspoon of salt into a large mixing bowl and mix well, just enough to combine everything together. Add the preserved lemon, lemon zest, vanilla, honey, egg and butter and give everything a good mix, using a wooden spoon or spatula. The mixture should be slightly sticky.

2. Place the icing sugar on a large plate and start rolling the batter into walnut-size balls, about 30g each. Gently roll the balls in the icing sugar, making sure that they are well coated on all sides. Arrange on a large oven tray lined with baking parchment, evenly spaced out. Cover the tray and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 175°C fan and bake the cookies for 10–12 minutes, or until they start to get a bit of colour. Leave them to cool completely before serving.

4. Once the cookies have been rolled, they can be kept in the freezer, in an airtight container, for a few weeks. When they are already baked, they will keep in an airtight container for 5 days. 
   
   

Extracted from Boustany by Sami Tamimi (Ebury Press, $65.00). Photography by Ola O. Smit.