Chebka | Algerian almond filled cookies

بِسْــــــــــــــــــــــمِ اﷲِارَّحْمَنِ ارَّحِيم

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

- I invite you to follow me on social network FaceBook HERE  

It's been a while hasn' it? Life is funny like that. It gives us lots of curve balls and you can't always be on top of things. As many of you may (or may not) I'm working now full time. And also writing here and here right along mothering my four children. Life is hectic and rushed many days. Posts may be few and spordaic, but I know you all understand.

In the hustle of modern life, for me one of the pleasures of life, is my morning cup of coffee with my husband. This time is sacred. If I can get a really great cup of coffee first thing in the morning, I can face anything. But to elevate a cup of coffee from a necessity to a delight, you need to just add a good dunking cookie. Here's one particularly delicious dunking coffee that I think you may enjoy!

            CHEBKA 

Algerian almond filled cookies

Everyone loves to treat themselves every once in a while, so why not with these delightful almond filled cookies. 

| Active prep time: 15mins | Inactive prep time: 10 mins | Bake time: 15mins |

You'll Need >>

DOUGH

• 600g - 2 cups flour (I used a mixture of wheat and white)
• 2 eggs
• 100g soft butter
• 100ml olive oil
• 1 tsp rose water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 pinch of baking powder
• 200g - 1 ²/3 cup powdered sugar

FILLING

• 250g - 1 cup almonds
• 2TBS honey
• 1 tsp water
• zest of one lemon

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Make it >>
PREHEAT your oven to 180°C. Spread almonds over a baking sheet and toast, mixing  once, for 5-7 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.  SIFT the flour and the remaining dry ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
CREAM the butter and  sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy.  Gradually, add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until combined and almost comes together to form a soft, pliable dough that leaves the side of the bowl. Allow the dough to rest in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
GRIND the almonds in a kitchen machine or with a hand grinder. Mix the nuts with the honey, water and lemon zest. It should be slightly sticky but not liquidy. 
REMOVE the dough from the fridge and form walnut sized balls. Take one ball of doug, press your finger into the center, then shape the ball into a cup. Fill each cup with a little of the filling then pinch the dough closed.  Roll gently between your palms to round the ball and place seam side down on the prepared pans.  Repeat with the remaining dough.
USING a  knife or french fry cutting tool make a square motif on top of each cookie. Place on parchment or silicon lined baking sheet about 3cm apart. Sprinkle with some ground almonds.
REDUCE the oven temperature to 160°C /300° F and bake  for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned, swapping trays halfway through cooking. Make sure the bottoms are golden, not browned or burned. Lightly brush the hot cookies with rosewater and  transfer to a platter set  for 10 minutes to cool.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Kitchen Tips


Time-Wise You can make this recipe up to 3 weeks ahead. Store in an airtight container in a cool place.
category: sweet, bars and cookies, Algerian

                   

Let's keep in touch! Sign up for  posts delivered right to your e-mail inbox or subscribe to my feed. You can also 'like' me on Facebook, pin posts on Pinterest or follow me on Twitter for all the latest recipes and updates.
share this post