Ghoriba, Almond Macaroons

Since I wanted to try a Moroccan dessert, I picked Ghoriba cookies. I know desserts tend to be less sweet than ours in America but I thought these were plain. Maybe if I had roasted the almonds then it could have made a difference but I'm unsure. My son did like them but they weren't sweet enough for my daughter. They are easy to make.  I was hoping it would be like a Mexican wedding cookie but it isn't. I was thinking it has lots of potential. The recipe called for orange blossom water for decoration but I couldn't find any and didn't want to order it online. I used plain water since it is only used to moisten the dough to roll it into powdered sugar. They have a soft interior with a crunchy exterior.

Ghoriba, Almond Macaroons
1/2 lb. almonds, blanched and peeled
4 oz. powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon zest
(orange blossom) water & powdered sugar for decoration

Direction:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
3. In a food processor, process the almonds twice to make a moist almond paste. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, beat the powdered sugar with the egg.
5. Add the almond paste, baking powder, butter, vanilla, and lemon zest to the powdered sugar mixture.
6. Using the water to dampen your hands, moisten the dough to form one inch balls.
7. Roll the balls in the powdered sugar to coat. 
8. Place the cookies onto the baking sheet. 
9. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until golden. 
10. Remove from oven and coat the cookies with additional powdered sugar. 
11. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Recipe adapted from Aboutfood.

Two years ago...................................I made Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
Three years ago................................I made Lemon Tassies.

Did you already know..............................
-Ghoriba is a generic term for a Moroccan hand rolled cookies.
-A crinkled top is desired for a Ghoriba cookie.
-The cookies range from being like a shortbread to a macaroon.