Vegan Cornes de Gazelles: Delicious pastry from Maghreb

These little pastries in the shape of crescent are my favourites of all time. Whether you call them “Cornes de gazelles” in French or “Antelope ankles” in English or they original كعب الغزال  ( kaʿb al ḡazāl) in Arabic, they are amazingly delicious…

They are nutty and fragrant, sweet and spicy, a mouth-orgasm many would find incomparable.  Served them with mint tea and you have the perfect mid afternoon delicacy.

I made this vegan version of them a few times already, and it always had been a success. Traditionally they are made with butter – I replaced the butter with a of mix coconut oil and water.

Ingredients

Makes 25-30 cornes de gazelle

Dough:
200 g plain white flour
65g coconut oil+15g water (or 80g margarine)
100 ml orange blossom water for the dough (find it at Harris Farm or About Life in Australia)
Filling:
250 g almond meal
70 g raw or icing sugar
2 pinches cinnamon
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
Icing
100 g organic icing sugar

How to:

Step 1
Make the dough: put flour in a bowl, add melted butter (or coconut oil+water) and orange blossom water so that you obtain a supple and light dough. Leave aside in a draft free environment to rest for 15 min while you make the filling.
Step 2
Filling: put almond meal in a bowl, add raw or icing sugar , cinnamon, lemon zest and orange blossom water. Mix with you hand to obtain a thick slightly sticky “dough”.
Step 3
Make a ball with it.
Step 4
After rest time (15min): roll and spread the dough quite finely (approx 1mm thick). Cut circles with the help of a large glass. Take a bit of almond filling and shape a little crescent, then put it on the dough circles.
Step 5
Close each circle and work with your finger to shape the crescents and tightly bind edges. When you’e half way through your cornes de gazelle making, start preheating your oven at 180°C.
Step 6
Put the cornes de gazelle on the oven tray (use baking paper or flour to avoid them to stick). Bake them for 15 min max in the middle of the oven – they should stay white and not become golden.
Step 7
Straight from the oven, roll them in icing sugar while hot.
Enjoy ;-)