Desserts
ChefAmir Youssef
How to Make Maakroun (Zaynab's Fingers)
Maakroun dessert made at home the traditional way. Also called Zaynab’s Fingers, this is a rich, easy-to-make sweet that remains a favorite for many.
Maakroun dessert — Zaynab’s Fingers — made at home with a foolproof recipe
Ingredients
Start here, then move straight into the method.
- 200 g all-purpose flour
- 200 g fine semolina
- 1 tsp mahlab (ground cherry pit)
- 1 tsp ground anise
- 2 tbsp powdered milk + 2 tbsp powdered sugar, sifted together
- 100 g butter, melted
- 150 g warm water with 1 tsp yeast dissolved in it
- Syrup (attar/shaer)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- a squeeze of lemon juice
- 1 tsp orange blossom water
- Syrup
Method
Follow the cooking sequence without leaving the page.
- Put the flour, semolina, mahlab, anise, powdered milk and powdered sugar into a deep bowl and mix together.
- Add the melted butter and knead.
- Gradually add the warm water with the dissolved yeast and continue kneading until you have a cohesive dough.
- Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for about 40 minutes.Timers: 40 min
- After resting, form the dough into balls, then roll each ball over a coarse sieve or a box grater to create the perforated finger shape.
- Heat plenty of oil. After lowering the flame slightly, add the pieces and fry over medium heat until they are light golden.
- Place the fried maakroun on a rack or paper towel to drain the oil, then dip each piece into the hot syrup for a few seconds.
- Drain the syrup from the maakroun and serve at room temperature.
- Let the syrup boil for about 5 minutes so it thickens slightly — just enough to hold on to the pastry.Timers: 5 min
- Recipe and method for maakroun by a friend and the site’s chef
- For more easy Arab dessert recipes, see How to Make Kaak with Anise
- Place the syrup ingredients in a pot over the heat and stir briefly.
Recipe tags
DessertsInternationalVegetarianVeganDairy freeGluten freeNut freeEgg free
Notes and serving ideas
- How to Make Kaak with Anise
