Makrout A Louz - Algerian Almond Cakes #2 - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For the makrout
3 cups ground almonds
1 cup granulated sugar
3 lemons, zest of, finely grated
3 small medium eggs
To roll
3 tablespoons cornflour (maize or cornstarch)
To decorate
2 cups of light sugar syrup
2 1/2 cups icing sugar (confectioners sugar)

Preparation

Place the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl and mix well - traditionally with your hand.
Dust work top with a little cornflour and roll mixture into a sausage shape - approximately the thickness of a frankfurter or average thumb!
Cut the sausage into 3cm pieces. Do this at an angle to create lozange or diamond shapes.
Bake on middle shelf at approx 170c until set & still pale - about 12-14 minutes THEY SHOULD NOT BE DARK.
When cooled slightly, drop one by one into the syrup. Hold on a fork and allow excess to dribble off before slowly dropping into the sugar. Re-dip with sugar 15 mins later and pop into paper cases.
For the syrup you can make it easily by putting 2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar in a pan and boiling for 10 minutes It needs to be nice and light - just enough to hold the icing sugar on.