Eggless Moroccan Semolina - Almond Cookies

I had come across these Moroccan cookies at New York Times online edition which in turn were adapted from"Dorie's Cookies" by Dorie Greenspan.  These cookies are made with a combination of semolina flour and almond flour and I made them eggless. In case if you don't have almond flour, it can be made at home by grinding the almonds with the skin on if you wish or after drying the blanched and skinned almonds. Semolina flour adds a sandy texture to cookies while the almond flour adds richness. These are a version of crinkle cookies if not for the thumb impression. These cookies though look plain are delicious with a hint of citrus flavor and a lingering aroma of orange blossom water.

I halved the original recipe and gave the measurements below. However I quartered the ingredients from the original recipe for my cookies. (I  guess it is not confusing. That means I further halved the ingredients from the below recipe.)  I baked them on a lined, large cookie sheet for 16 minutes and got around 16 cookies.  

Ingredients: (Yield around 30 cookies)
1 tbsp. flax meal + 3 tbsp. water
3/4 cup + 3 tbsp. semolina flour 
1 cup almond flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
Zest from a lemon
2 tbsp. any flavorless oil (I used canola oil.)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange blossom water (optional)
Confectioner's sugar for dredging

Method:
* Combine the flax-meal and water in a small bowl and keep aside for five minutes. 
* Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
* Whisk together semolina, almond flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. 
* Add sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment or to a bowl in which one use a hand mixer. Grate the lemon zest over sugar and rub them together until sugar is moist. Add flax egg and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Next add oil and continue beating for another 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla and orange blossom water if using. Turn off the mixer. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix them in on low speed. Then add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix only until dry ingredients disappear into the dough, which will be thick.
* Grease your palms and roll out about a tbsp. sized dough between your palms to a ball and coat in confectioners' sugar. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. If your hands get sticky in between rolling the dough balls, wash and grease your palms again and start rolling.
* Place balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Push down the center of each cookie with thumb, pressing firmly enough to make an indentation and causing the edges to crack.
* Bake until cookies are lightly colored, about 14 to 16 minutes, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back after 8 minutes. They will be golden at the bottom, puffed and cracked and just firm to the touch. Carefully lift the cookies off sheets and onto racks. 
* Store them in a covered container.

This goes to Blogging Marathon under 'Recipes from Southern Hemisphere' Theme.


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Baghrir / Beghrir

 
Baghrir / Beghrir is an ancient berber pancake originating in North Africa and are popular in Algeria and Morocco. 'Baghrir' means too soft in the Berber dialects, a reference to the soft and spongy texture of the pancakes. The traditional method of preparing baghrir is time consuming though the modern version is quick and easier with the use of a blender. Baghrir are eaten as a breakfast or snack dipped in a honey - butter sauce. While these are prepared all year round in Algeria, they are a popular part of a iftar during Ramadan in Morocco.
Baghrir, the pancake with a thousand holes is prepared using a yeast based fermented batter of semolina and flour. They are cooked only on one side without flipping on low flame and care is taken to keep them light colored. The number of holes on the pancake depend upon the consistency of the batter and they start to appear as soon as you pour the batter on the hot pan. A thick batter would not result in the holes. 
 
Baghrirs are usually served by dipping them in a honey - butter mixture.  The holes on the surface of baghrir soak up the syrup poured on it. The sauce is prepared by heating equal quantities of butter and honey until the mixture comes to a boil. 
 
Ingredients for baghrir: (Yield 10 - 12 pancakes)
3/4 cup semolina flour / very fine semolina
5 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. quick rising yeast
1 & 1/2 cups warm water

 Method:
* Blend all the ingredients into a smooth. lump-free batter. Allow it to rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes. It would have turned frothy and there would be an increase in the volume of the batter.
* Heat a non stick pan or a griddle. Pour a ladleful of batter and gently spread it with the back of the ladle. They can be made larger or smaller.
* Cook on low flame until the top appears dry and cooked. Remove it with a spatula and serve warm with honey-butter syrup.

* Repeat the steps with the remaining batter.
* Don't stack the pancakes when they are warm since they stick to each other.

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