I have a weakness for anything made with almonds, and these cookies are seriously good! They are soft and loaded with an ultra-delicious almond flavor! But I guess these are an adult cookie recipe, a well scented something to enjoy with your morning coffee or afternoon tea.

Almond Paste Stuffed Cookies

I prefer almond extract to vanilla here. While almond extract may not be your everyday flavoring in sweets, I bet it was invented to go with these cookies, don’t omit it, it adds a hint of a different flavor.

The cookies feature alongside almond extract, cinnamon powder and mastic gum.  These three flavors combined amplify your cookie flavor.

Can I freeze Almond Stuffed Cookies?

• Just pop them in a freezer bag! When you are ready to serve them, leave them to thaw on a counter. And you can even freeze the cookies in their raw state, to be baked fresh later.

How long does your cookies last after baking?

• Store them in an air-tight container and they will last for 1 week.

I love the flavor of butter in baked goods, can I use butter instead of oil?

• My first instinct about the source of fats in the dough was butter, but it turned that my instinct was not correct.  I have tested the recipe with both, and ended up preferring the oil version.

Can I use the same dough to make different fillings?

• Absolutely yes! For even more dramatic cookies, you can use the same dough to make date stuffed cookies, or even coconut stuffed cookies.

Make the dough

• First off, start by proofing the yeast: In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast with the lukewarm water and sugar. Let it stand to 10 minutes until a bubbly foam is created on its surface. This is an indication that your yeast is fresh and not expired.
• To make the dough: In a bowl, add the flour, anise seeds, salt, sugar. Mix well.
• Heat the sunflower oil a bit and add to the flour.
• Mix in lukewarm water and add the proofed yeast.  Knead the mixture until you end up with a malleable dough.  Cove with a kitchen towel and leave for 1 hour to ferment.

Make the filling:

• Place the almonds in a food processor, and pulse a few times until well ground.  Transfer to a bowl, add the sugar, cinnamon powder, crushed mastic gum, almond extract, egg white, and orange blossom water. Mix well to incorporate.

Assemble the cookies

• On a flat surface, roll out the almond filling between two sheets of  waxed paper to a rectangle of 30 cm x 22 cm/ 12 x 7 inches.
•  When the dough has doubled in size, roll it between two sheets of waxed papers to approximately 30 x 22 cm / 12 x 7 inches.

Assemble the cookies

• On a flat surface, roll out the almond filling between two sheets of  waxed paper to a rectangle of 30 cm x 22 cm/ 12 x 7 inches
•  When the dough has doubled in size, roll it between two sheets of waxed papers to approximately 30 x 22 cm / 12 x 7 inches

• Peel off the top of wax paper from each.  Invert the almond paste on top of the dough. With a pizza cutter, cut into 3 equal portions.

• Roll up tightly each portion to a jelly roll-style, starting with the long side, creating 3 equal logs. Wrap, each with plastic wrap. Roll out several times back and forth to smooth it. Gently flatten each log with your fingers to reduce its volume.

• With a pizza cutter slice each log into equal diamond patterns about 2.5 cm/ 1 inch wide pieces. Transfer the cookies to an oven sheet lined with parchment paper. Use the tines of a fork to make criss-cross marks on top of the cookies, brush the top of each cookie with the egg wash. Bake in a preheated oven to 200°C/400°F, to a golden color, it takes about 12 minutes. Enjoy.

These turned over the top fabulous. I could literally eat the cookies all day long.  If you have been on the hunt for a great almond cookie recipe, give these cookies a try.  Follow the steps they will never disappoint you.

Almond Paste Stuffed Cookies

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Prep: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Cook: 11 minutes minutes

Servings 50 pieces

Course

Breakfast

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Dessert

Cuisine

#Middle Eastern

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Lebanese

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Mediterranean

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Description

I have a weakness for anything made with almonds, and these cookies are seriously good! They are soft and loaded with an ultra-delicious almond flavor! But I guess these are an adult cookie recipe, a well scented something to enjoy with your morning coffee or afternoon tea.

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

For the dough:

• ▢ 4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup sunflower oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
• ▢ 3/4 cup lukewarm water
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon anise seeds
• ▢ To proof the yeast:
• ▢ 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• ▢ 6 tablespoons lukewarm water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sugar

For the filling :

• ▢ 500 g./ 1 lb. 2 oz. skinned almonds
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon mastic granules crushed with a pinch of sugar, optional
• ▢ 3 tablespoons almond extract higly recommened
• ▢ 4 tablespoons orange blossom water
• ▢ 1 egg white
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder

Egg Wash

• ▢ 1 egg lightly beaten, to brush the cookies before baking

Instructions

 

• First off, start by proofing the yeast: In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast with the lukewarm water and sugar. Let it stand to 10 minutes until a bubbly foam is created on its surface. This is an indication that your yeast is fresh and not expired.
• To make the dough: In a bowl, add the flour, anise seeds, salt, sugar. Mix well.
• Heat the sunflower oil a bit and add to the flour.
• Mix in lukewarm water and add the proofed yeast. Knead the mixture until you end up with a malleable dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave for 1 hour to ferment.
• While the dough is resting, prepare the filling: Place the almonds in a food processor, and pulse a few times until well ground. Transfer to a bowl, add the sugar, cinnamon powder, crushed mastic, gum, almond extract, egg white, and orange blossom water. Mix well to incorporate.
• On a flat surface, roll out the almond filling between two sheets of waxed paper to a rectangle of 30 cmx 22 cm/ 12 x 7 inches.
• When the dough has doubled in size, roll it between two sheets of waxed papers to approximately 30x 22 cm/ 12 x 7 inches
• Peel off the top of waxed paper from each. Invert the almond paste on top of the dough.
• With a pizza cutter, cut into 3 equal portions. Roll up tightly each portion to a jelly roll-style, starting with the long side, creating 3 equal logs. Wrap, each with plastic wrap. Roll out several times back and forth to smooth it. Gently flatten each log with your fingers to reduce its volume.
• With a pizza cutter slice each log into equal diamond patterns bout 2.5 cm/ 1 inch wide pieces.
• Transfer the cookies to an oven sheet lined with parchment paper. Use the tines of a fork to make criss-cross marks and brush the top of each cookie with the egg wash.
  
• Bake in a preheated oven to 200°C/400°F, to a golden color, it takes about 12 minutes. Enjoy.
  

Notes

If you make this recipe, share your pictures on Facebook! I would love to see your creations!Hashtag them #Hadia's Lebanese Cuisine

Keyword almonds

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