Moroccan Semolina and Almond Cookies

Recipe from Dorie Greenspan

Adapted by Melissa Clark

Published December 6, 2016

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
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Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(725)
Comments
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Semolina flour gives these rather plain-looking but delicious cookies, adapted from "Dorie's Cookies" by Dorie Greenspan, a delightfully sandy texture. Almond flour makes them moist and rich, adding a gentle flavor and scent. If you don’t have almond flour, make your own by pulsing blanched almond slices in a food processor until they're finely ground. Just don’t over-process, or you’ll wind up with almond butter. And if you’re not a fan of orange blossom water, you can leave it out, or substitute rose water. —Melissa Clark

Featured in: The Year’s Best Baking Cookbooks: Radical Ideas, Classic Treats

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Ingredients

Yield:About 3 dozen cookies

  • 1 ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons/294 grams semolina flour

  • 2 cups/200 grams almond flour

  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

  • ¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar

  • 1 lemon

  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature

  • ¼ cup/60 milliliters flavorless oil, such as canola

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)

  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dredging

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

18 grams carbs; 10 milligrams cholesterol; 127 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 36 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Position racks to divide the oven into thirds, and heat it to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    In a bowl, whisk together semolina, almond flour, baking powder and salt.

  3. Step 3

    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.

  4. Step 4

    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.

  5. Step 5

    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.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
725 user ratings
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Comments

Dog mom

Measuring the semolina flour by volume, 1 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons, and then weighing this amount of semolina flour results in 242 grams, rather than the 294 grams in the ingredients list. This is a significant discrepancy when baking. 3/4 cup by volume of sugar weighs 179 grams, rather than the 150 grams listed in the ingredients.Which should one trust, the volume measurements or the grams?

Raquel

I substitute cornmeal for semolina! They are incredible and then GF!

Chris Dunn

The subtle and complex flavors and aromas of orange, vanilla, and lemon, along with a unique texture provided by semolina and almond flours make this a very special cookie. Be sure to Firmly press the cookies with your thumb--this creates a deep impression in the center of the cookie and crispy, cracked edges. After making the recipe several times, the only change I would suggest is to substitute a 1/4 teaspoon of orange oil for the orange water. It is more aromatic and flavorful.

Jennifer

delicious but dough dry and sandy. did not make balls after the first few--too time-consuming, so popped them out of the tablespoon and dredged from there. Sugar dissolved...but I did not sift so maybe that's why. Agree more liquid needed.

NmScratchCook

Made these exactly as written, delicious! For decoration, I dipped raw almonds into egg white and put them in the thumbprint well. That made them look more “finished” for a party . Absolutely loved the lemon/vanilla/orange blossom flavor.

Carol, RWC, CA

Liked these suggestions. Aug. 2021 Delicious and nourishing! Will make again! 1. Made almond flour from fresh almonds. Didn't bother with blanching the almonds, so have pretty brown flecks in the cookies. 2. As a reviewer stated, 90 gms of granlulated sugar add just the perfect amount of sweetness (instead of the recipe's 150 gms). 3. Added lemon zest and orange zest. 4. Added 1 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice instead of orange oil or orange blossom water. 5. Used a fruity olive oil instead of flavorless canola oil

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Credits

Adapted from "Dorie’s Cookies," by Dorie Greenspan (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016)

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