Elises Moroccan Sugar Cookies Recipes

MOROCCAN SPICED SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add powdered sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add egg and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the orange peel; beat well. Gradually add flour, anise and salt, beating until combined. Stir in nuts. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350°F. On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inch 8-point star-shaped cookie cutter, rerolling dough once. On ungreased cookie sheets, place cutouts 1 inch apart.
• Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until firm to the touch. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely.
• In small bowl, mix frosting and remaining 1/2 teaspoon orange peel. For each sandwich cookie, spread about 1 teaspoon frosting on bottom of 1 cookie. Top with second cookie, bottom side down; gently press together. Let stand until set. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

MOROCCAN TEA BISCUITS

Steps:

• Stir together sugar, butter, almonds, orange-flower water, anise seeds, extracts, and 1/4 cup sesame seeds in a large bowl. Add eggs and stir until well combined. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined. Chill dough, covered, 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Using moistened hands, halve dough and form 2 (11- by 3-inch) loaves on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with enough egg wash to coat, then sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sesame seeds.
• Bake until pale golden, about 30 minutes. Loosen from baking sheet with a spatula, then transfer loaves to a rack and cool 15 minutes. (Leave oven on.)
• Cut warm loaves into 3/4-inch slices with a serrated knife and arrange biscuits, with a cut side down, on a clean baking sheet. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely.

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.

ELISE'S MOROCCAN SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Flour an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Place oil & sugar, eggs & vanilla in large bowl.
• Mix well.
• Gradually add flour once cup at a time.
• Blend in nuts.
• When dough feels smooth roll dough into small balls.
• Place small balls on cookie sheet.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Place a walnut piece on top.
• Bake 10 - 15 minutes. Cookies should be off-white (not brown).