About This Dish
The most refined and elegant cookie in the Moroccan pastry repertoire. These crescent-shaped cookies have an impossibly thin, tender pastry shell encasing a filling of almond paste perfumed with orange blossom water and mastic gum. The name means "gazelle ankles," referring to their graceful curved shape. Making perfect kaab ghzal — with pastry so thin it is nearly translucent — is considered the ultimate test of a Moroccan pastry cook. They are the first thing offered to guests with mint tea and are the most prized pastry at weddings and celebrations.
Ingredients
- 300 g All-purpose flour
- 30 g Butter, melted
- 4 tbsp Orange blossom water
- 300 g Blanched almonds, finely ground
- 150 g Powdered sugar
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Mastic gum, ground
- 1 Egg white
- 2 tbsp Orange blossom water for filling
- 1 tsp Vinegar
Instructions
- 1
Make dough: mix flour, melted butter, vinegar, and orange blossom water with enough water to form an elastic dough. Knead well and rest 30 minutes.
- 2
Make filling: mix ground almonds, powdered sugar, cinnamon, mastic, orange blossom water, and egg white into a firm paste.
- 3
Roll small pieces of filling into finger-length logs, tapering at each end.
- 4
Roll dough extremely thin — almost translucent.
- 5
Place filling logs on dough, fold dough over, and cut into crescent shapes.
- 6
Seal edges perfectly — no filling should be visible.
- 7
Prick tops with a pin to prevent puffing.
- 8
Bake at 180C (350F) for 12-15 minutes — do NOT brown. They should stay pale.
- 9
Optional: dip briefly in orange blossom water, then roll in powdered sugar.
Tips & Tricks
- The dough must be paper-thin — you should almost see through it.
- Do not overbake — kaab ghzal should be pale, not golden.
- Mastic gum gives the distinctive piney aroma that defines these cookies.
- Store in an airtight container — they keep for weeks.