This is another delicious traditional Algerian cookie. They are melt-in-your mouth, shortbread-like cookies flavored with orange blossom water. These are my long time favorite. I wonder why I don't make them more often!
Not only they are delicious but while you are making them the whole house smells amazing with the fragrance of orange flower. To me this is the best scent in the world!
You may shape them as doughnuts or crescents, which I find easier.
They can be stored for few weeks in a well sealed container.
Ingredients
For the cookie dough
1 ½ cup flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup butter softened
1 tablespoon shortening
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2-3 tablespoons orange blossom water
For the stuffing
1 cup almond meal
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Pinch cinnamon
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
For the icing
1/3 cup orange blossom water
2 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions
Prepare the cookie dough and the almond stuffing
- Mix all the ingredients of the stuffing together in a small bowl.
- Combine together the flour and baking powder in a bigger bowl.
- Make a well and add the sugar, egg, butter and shortening. Mix well, then gradually incorporate the flour. The dough should be soft but hold together. If it’s too hard, add 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water at a time. Form a ball and let it rest. I put it to chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
Make and bake the crescents
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line 1 large baking sheet with parchment.
- Roll out cookie dough on a lightly floured working surface approximately 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies with a 2 1/2-inches round cutter ( if you don’t have any, you can use a glass.)
- Place about 1 teaspoon of the stuffing in the center of each circle and fold in two.
- Pinch the edges and shape into crescents.
- Place on baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
- Bake 15-18 minutes or until very lightly browned. Let cool completely.
Icing the crescents
- Prepare three bowls that are wide enough to dip the cookies easily.
- Pour the orange blossom water in bowl #1. Sift half the confectioner’s sugar into bowls #2 and the other half in bowl #3. This is because the first sugar bowl will get lumpy after the first dipping. To have a nice white finish, you have to dip it into a dry batch.
- Lightly dip each cookie in the orange blossom water (#1) then toss into the icing sugar (#2). Coat well and pat to remove the excess.
- Place on a cookie sheet and repeat the operation for all the cookies.
- Coat a second time with the icing sugar in bowl #3 to get a nice snow white color.
- Place on the cookie sheet and let dry.
Finally enjoy!
Tips
- The use of shortening makes the dough easier to work with and results in a more melt-in-the mouth cookie.
- Orange blossom water also called orange flower water is used in many Mediterranean dessert dishes. You can find it at Middle Eastern grocery store. Some local grocery stores carry it in the cakes and baking section. It is very affordable and can be stored for months.
