Moroccan Kaab El Ghzal

Almond-Mango Crescent Cookies
A rich, mild almond cookie from Morocco with a zesty tang from baked-in dried mango.
Some varieties have pastry dough wrapped around the almond/fruit filling, but this one combines all ingredients into a biscuit. To see how to make the dough-filled version, watch Moroccan blogger Alia make her version on youtube.

Makes 15 - 20 cookies
1 cup raw almonds, finely ground
½ cup Wholesome Sweeteners powdered sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 Ener-G egg replacer (or 1 egg)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup earth balance (or butter), at room temperature
½ cup sesame seed
½ cup of minced dried fruit like mango or pineapple

Directions

1. Take soy butter out of fridge & preheat oven to 350º
2. Knead almonds, sugar, flour, almond extract, egg, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter in mixing bowl and mix well. A sticky dough will form. Add water a tablespoon at a time if a ball of the dough does not form, or add flour if dough is too sticky to pinch.
3. Pour sesame seeds onto a plate or pie pan.
4. Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough (keep them small, the cookies are rich).
5. Flatten the dough in your palms and fold in 1 teaspoon of minced dried fruit. Form the dough into a cylinder and roll dough pieces in seeds to coat.
6. Sculpt the cylinder into a crescent, thicker in the middle, tapering at the ends and curved.
7. Place side by side onto lightly greased cookie sheet and bake in oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.