Moroccan Almond Crescent Cookies Food

MOROCCAN SEMOLINA AND ALMOND COOKIES

Steps:

• Position racks to divide the oven into thirds, and heat it to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, whisk together semolina, almond flour, baking powder and salt.
• Put sugar in bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl in which you can use a hand mixer. Finely grate lemon zest over sugar, then rub them together with your fingertips until sugar is moist and fragrant. Add eggs and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. With mixer running, pour oil down side of the bowl and beat for another 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla and orange blossom water, if using. Turn off mixer, add half the dry ingredients and mix them in on low speed, then add the rest, mixing only until dry ingredients disappear into the dough, which will be thick.
• Sift some confectioners' sugar into a small bowl. For each cookie, spoon out a level tablespoon of dough, roll it between your palms to form a ball and dredge in sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets, then use your thumb to push down the center of each cookie, pressing firmly enough to make an indentation and to cause the edges to crack.
• Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back after 8 minutes, or until cookies are ever so lightly colored: They will be golden on the bottom, puffed, dramatically cracked and just firm to the touch. Carefully lift the cookies off sheets and onto racks. Cookies will keep for about 4 days in a covered container at room temperature.

CORNES DE GAZELLE (GAZELLE HORNS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread almonds over the baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until almonds are fragrant and roasted, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Prepare pastry dough while almonds are roasting. Combine flour, 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter, and salt in a bowl and rub together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add egg, oil, and 1 1/2 tablespoons orange blossom water; knead everything into a smooth pastry dough. Add a little water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if dough is too dry. Shape pastry dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Remove almonds from oven and cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Place almonds in the bowl of a food processor; process until finely and evenly ground. Add 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, cinnamon, egg, and 1 tablespoon orange blossom water in that order to the food processor, pulsing after each addition until mixture is evenly combined and resembles a paste.
• Remove small walnut-sized portions of filling with greased hands. Roll them into small logs with thin ends. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll out half of the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface until very thin. Place one of the almond paste logs on the edge of the pastry, fold pastry over the filling, covering it completely, and seal the edges. Mold with your fingers into a crescent shape. Using a pastry cutter, cut around the crescent, and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
• Bake in the preheated oven until gazelle horns are lightly golden and baked through, about 20 minutes. They should not get too dark. Let cool slightly, about 3 minutes.
• Heat honey in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon orange blossom water. Dip gazelle horns into the honey and place on a serving plate. Sprinkle with crushed pistachios.

ALMOND CRESCENT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Beat butter and confectioners' sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt; mix briefly to incorporate. Gradually stir 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour into the creamed butter, add almonds, and mix until dough is just combined.
• Shape dough into tiny crescents; place on an ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
• Bake cookies in preheated oven until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Roll cookies in sifted confectioners' sugar when cooled.

MOROCCAN ALMOND CRESCENT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, almonds, sugar, honey, almond extract, egg, cinnamon and nutmeg. Gradually add in the flour to form a dough (knead with clean hands if necessary-it can be sticky). Refrigerate dough for about 10 minutes, or until it is slightly firm.
• Pour seeds into a small bowl. Pinch off a walnut sized ball of dough and roll it in the sesame seeds to coat. Then, take the ball and roll it between your palms into about 2 in long pieces, tapering the ends .
• Place side by side on a cookie sheet , curving them into crescent shapes. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown, being careful not to burn.

QUICK ALMOND CRESCENT COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy.
• Blend in extracts.
• Mix in flour and almonds.
• Using about 1 T of dough for each, shape into logs and bend into crecents.
• Place on greased cookie sheet.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees F until light brown.
• While warm, roll crecents in confectioners' sugar.
• Cool on racks and store in a tightly sealed container.

ALMOND CRESCENT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray several cookie sheets with cooking spray.
• With a mixer, beat the butter with sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add vanilla extract and almond extract, beat until incorporated.
• Stir in the flour and almonds. Work flour mixture into a firm dough.
• Working with 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, lightly roll and then shape it so the middle is thicker than both ends. Bend dough log into a crescent shape.
• Place on greased cookie sheets and repeat until all dough is used.
• Bake 12-15 minutes or until light brown.
• Sift powdered sugar into a small shallow bowl.
• While the cookies are still warm , roll the crescents in the powdered sugar.
• Cool on racks.

SESAME ALMOND CRESCENT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Put ground nuts, sugar, 1 cup flour, almond extract, egg, cinnamon, and butter in mixing bowl and mix well.
• KNEAD mixture into a dough (it will be slightly sticky).
• Pour seeds into pie pan.
• Pinch off walnut size pieces of dough (IF dough is too sticky or difficult to handle add the remaining flour).
• Roll dough pieces in seeds to coat, and then, between the palms of your hands, roll pieces into about 2 inch long cylindrical shapes, thicker in the middle, tapering at the ends.
• Place side by side onto lightly greased cookie sheet, curving slightly into crescents.
• Bake in oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. I would start checking after 15 minutes as 30 seems too long but that is what it says.