Shortbread Crescent Cookies – Moroccan Eid Cookies

Making cookies for Eid al Fitr is just one of those things that almost every household in Morocco does. Every house has its own specialty, and it is not uncommon to see neighbors trade cookies.

And it all makes sense. If you know that your neighbor makes the best Apricot Jam Cookies, and that your Crescent Cookies are better than hers, then it only makes sense to produce a surplus in order to trade it for those sweet Apricot Jam Cookies.

In economics we call that a comparative advantage. It’s the foundation of the Moroccan Cookie Trade Economy XD.

Moroccan Shortbread Cookies

Shorbread Cookies are abundant in Morocco. However, our Shortbread, or pate sablée, is somewhat different from what you will find in Europe. First, we use ground almonds and we combine it with either almond extract or orange blossom water. That combo is what gives our cookies their signature taste and texture.

Crescent Shaped Cookies are very popular in Morocco as they are fairly cheap to make, and quite delicious. They are often drizzled in ganache, baked as is (no icing), or more commonly with a simple icing like we are going to make today.

Their texture is very soft and crumbly, and their taste makes them a perfect coffee companion. What better way to celebrate Eid al Fitr than with a fresh serving of Moroccan Mint Tea and a few almond shortbread cookies ?

How To Make Shortbread Crescent Cookies

Here is what you are going to need to make this recipe

Ingredient list

• Butter at room temperature: butter is very important to this recipe as it provide the moisture that the pastry needs. Avoid using cold butter as it will be very hard to incorporate it efficiently into the dough.
• Almond flour: absorbs moisture efficiently and gives yours cookies a very soft and crumbly feel. Not to mention that it gives the cookies a very unique flavor.
• Granulated sugar: for sweetness and chewiness. It is a cookie after all.
• Egg: the main binding agent in this recipe.
• Vanilla extract: although we are using orange blossom water, it is very important not to skip the vanilla extract as it compliments perfectly the other flavors present in here.
• Almond extract: mixed with ground almonds this extract adds a very strong almond flavor to the dough.
• All-purpose flour: you will need 200-220g of flour. The amount will vary depending on the size of your egg and the precision of your measurements of the wet ingredients.

For the Icing we are going to need:

• Icing sugar: the amount of icing sugar used will largely depend on the size of your egg white.
• Egg white
• Flour: only one tbsp. as it helps the icing thicken and makes it more stable under the heat of the oven.
• Lemon juice: the acidity from it counteracts the sweetness of the icing sugar. It also helps keep the color of the icing.

Instructions

Making the dough by hand:

1. To a large bowl add butter, egg, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract and almond flour. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
2. Add half of your flour and mix again. Then add the rest of your flour and mix until dough comes together
3. Once your dough comes together, shape it into a rectangle, wrap in plastic and let it chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Making the dough in a food processor or stand mixer:

1. To your food processor, add butter, egg, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract and almond flour. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. Add flour and mix again until your dough comes together. Wrap your dough ball in plastic and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
2. Move your dough onto a well floured surface. Bring the dough into a rough rectangle with your hands and wrap it plastic. Chill your dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Transfer your chilled dough to a well floured large piece of parchment paper and roll it to a rectangle that is roughly 9″x13″. Let your dough rest aside and start making your icing:
4. To a mixing bowl add roughly half of your icing sugar along with your egg white and flour. Mix until fully incorporated. Keep adding your sugar slowly until you’re left with roughly 50 grams ¼ of original amount. Add your lemon juice and mix again. Add the remaining icing sugar very slowly and stop adding once you get a thick consistency. Your icing should be able to just fall off your whisk, like a cake batter.  Spread your icing evenly on top of your rolled pastry.

Let your dough rest for 20 minutes before cutting. Using a ravioli cutter, or ring cutter, start cutting your cookies from the bottom left corner as shown in the process picture above. At every third cut, dip your cutter in flour to stop the cookies from sticking to the cutter. Place your cut cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Once all your cookies are cut, allow them to rest on the baking sheet for at least 2 hours, or until the icing has hardened and is not very sticky to the touch. This process can take 2-3 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is and how thick your icing is.

Preheat your oven to 250F and bake for 50 minutes. If you like your shortbread cookies a little softer bake for 40 minutes instead. Let cool down for 10 minutes before serving.

Print

Crescent Shortbread Cookies

Served during Eid or other special occasions, these cookies are almond based and flavored with orange blossom water.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Moroccan

Keyword Al fitr, Cookies, Crescent, Eid, Moroccan, Shortbread

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Resting time 2 hours

Calories 52 kcal

Author Idriss

Ingredients

• 100 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
• 70 grams almond flour
• 100 grams granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp orange blossom water
• 220 grams all-purpose flour

Icing

• 150-180 grams Icing sugar
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tsp all-purpose flour
• ½ tbsp. lemon juice

Instructions

Dough assembly can be done in food processor, stand mixer or by hand. Refer to blog post for instructions.

1. To your food processor, add butter, egg, sugar, vanilla, orange blossom water and almond flour. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. Add flour and mix again until your dough comes together.

2. Move your dough onto a well floured surface. Bring the dough into a rough rectangle with your hands and wrap it plastic. Chill your dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Transfer your chilled dough to a well floured large piece of parchment paper and roll it to a rectangle that is roughly 9"x13". Let your dough rest aside and start making your icing.

4. To a mixing bowl add roughly half of your icing sugar along with your egg white and flour. Mix until fully incorporated. Keep adding your sugar slowly until you're left with roughly 50 grams ¼ of original amount. Add your lemon juice and mix again. Add the remaining icing sugar very slowly and stop adding once you get a thick consistency. Your icing should be able to just fall off your whisk, like a cake batter.

5. Spread your icing evenly on top of your rolled pastry. Let your dough rest for 20 minutes before cutting.

6. Using a ravioli cutter, or ring cutter, start cutting your cookies from the bottom left corner as shown in the process picture above. At every third cut, dip your cutter in flour to stop the cookies from sticking to the cutter. Place your cut cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

7. Once all your cookies are cut, allow them to rest on the baking sheet for at least 2 hours, or until the icing has hardened and is not very sticky to the touch. This process can take 2-3 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is and how thick your icing is.

8. Preheat your oven to 250F and bake for 50 minutes. If you like your shortbread cookies a little softer bake for 40 minutes instead. Let cool down for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

For 1 Cookie: 

Storage

Store in an airtight container. Your cookies should stay fresh for at least 10 days.