Easy Kaab el Ghazal
The gazelle horn, or kaab el ghazal (or ka’b el gazal in Arabic), is one of the most iconic pastries of Moroccan cuisine, known worldwide. Highly appreciated during celebrations such as Eid al-Fitr and receptions, it is a must-have when hosting guests, served with mint tea.
It is distinguished by an extremely thin dough that provides a slight crunch, combined with a soft filling of finely ground almonds, flavored with orange blossom water and cinnamon. The dough is carefully rolled out before being filled with almond paste cigars, then cut with a pastry wheel to obtain its characteristic crescent shape, resembling the horns of a gazelle. This process requires a certain dexterity to shape perfect gazelle horns.
On the Internet, there are many images of recipes that do not correspond to the true traditional Moroccan gazelle horn, with the resemblance often limited to the shape.
There is a simpler and equally delicious variant: the gazelle horns without dough, which I propose here. They offer the same deliciousness and authentic flavors, while being quicker and easier to prepare.
Homemade Moroccan gazelle horns
What truly distinguishes the authentic gazelle horn is the fineness of the dough that covers it during shaping. You can see the almond paste underneath, and it’s only after baking that a thin, slightly golden film forms, creating a slightly crunchy texture in the mouth.
I’m offering you a simplified version of this delicious pastry that can be prepared quickly while retaining all the flavors of the original pastry. To recreate the slight crunch of the dough in the mouth, we use sliced almonds or sesame seeds.
This is a very common version in Morocco because when tasting, there isn’t really a difference. I will soon offer you the recipe for the one with dough.
Table of Contents
Details on the Ingredients
There aren’t many ingredients in the recipe, but mainly almonds.
I advise you to use whole almonds that will be blanched and then ground. You get a more pliable dough and the taste is much better than with almond powder. However, if you’re in a hurry or don’t have a choice, you’ll still get a good result with it.
Blanch the almonds and let them dry in a colander for 3 to 4 hours. Don’t dry them too much, otherwise they will release their oil when you grind them.
Ingredients:
Note: Find the printable recipe card at the end of the article.
For the almond paste
- 500 g almonds
- 250 g sugar
- 40 to 80 ml orange blossom water (depending on the quality of the almonds)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 40 g butter
- 4 grains of gum arabic
- 1 heaping teaspoon of glucose
- 1 pinch of salt
For the coating
- 2 egg whites
- 1 bowl of sliced almonds or/and sesame seeds
Preparation steps
Prepare the almond paste
Blanch the almonds 3 to 4 hours before starting
Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, then pour in the almonds.
Let boil for about 1 to 2 minutes. Take an almond using a skimmer and check that the skin comes off easily.
Drain the almonds in a colander, rinsing them under tap water.
Wrap them in a kitchen towel and rub them between your hands to blanch them quickly. Remove any remaining skins by rubbing each almond between your thumb and index finger.
Rinse them and let them drain in the colander, stirring once or twice.
After this time, grind the almonds a first time until you obtain a granular powder.
Mix this powder with the sugar and grind a second time until you obtain a very fine powder. If you press the powder in your hand, it’s sticky.
You can finish the work with a mixer or by hand. If you use a mixer, don’t heat the paste, as this would cause the almond oil to come out. If you have a Thermomix, it’s perfect. Add the other ingredients, incorporating the orange blossom water little by little, and mix just long enough to obtain a paste. We’ll finish kneading by hand.
By hand, pour the powder into a bowl, add the butter, cinnamon, ground gum arabic, glucose, and mix everything well by kneading.
Grind the gum arabic with a tablespoon of sugar in a small mortar and sieve it.
Add the orange blossom water little by little while kneading the almond paste well. You need to knead it for at least fifteen minutes. Depending on the quality of the almonds, the paste may release oil. This is not a problem.
(If you have the Moulinex 123 mixer, it gives a very good result)
Continue to knead it, adding orange blossom water until you obtain a soft and malleable paste of a lighter color. You should be able to roll it into a ball and form thin rolls without them cracking.
Form small 20g sausages and place them on a plate. Cover them with plastic wrap.
Coating
Pass them one by one in beaten egg white and roll them either in sliced almonds or sesame seeds. Shape them into gazelle horns, more or less thin according to your taste.
Place them on a buttered tray lined with parchment paper. Let them dry for 1 hour before baking.
Preheat the oven to 165°C and bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Don’t brown them too much or you’ll get hard gazelle horns.
Remove from the tray when out of the oven and let cool before storing in an airtight container.
Storage
You can keep them in an airtight container for about two weeks at room temperature. You can also freeze them for up to 6 months without any issues. Thaw them at room temperature. They thaw quite quickly.
Other Moroccan recipes you might enjoy
Kaab el Ghazal – Easy Moroccan Gazelle Horn Cookies
INGREDIENTS
For the Almond Paste
- 500 g almonds
- 250 g sugar
- 40 to 80 ml of orange blossom water (depending on the quality of the almonds)
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 40 g butter
- 4 grains of gum arabic
- 1 heaping teaspoon of glucose
- 1 pinch of salt
For the Coating
- 2 egg whites
- 1 bowl sliced almonds or and sesame seeds
PREPARATION
Prepare the almond paste
- Blanch the almonds 3 to 4 hours before starting
- Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, then pour in the almonds.
- Let boil for about 1 to 2 minutes. Take an almond using a skimmer and check that the skin comes off easily.
- Drain the almonds in a colander, rinsing them under tap water.
- Wrap them in a kitchen towel and rub them between your hands to blanch them quickly. Remove any remaining skins by rubbing each almond between your thumb and index finger.
- Rinse them and let them drain in the colander, stirring once or twice.
- After this time, grind the almonds a first time until you obtain a granular powder.
- Mix this powder with the sugar and grind a second time until you obtain a very fine powder. If you press the powder in your hand, it's sticky.
- You can finish the work with a mixer or by hand. If you use a mixer, don't heat the paste, as this would cause the almond oil to come out. If you have a Thermomix, it's perfect. Add the other ingredients, incorporating the orange blossom water little by little, and mix just long enough to obtain a paste. We'll finish kneading by hand.
- By hand, pour the powder into a bowl, add the butter, cinnamon, ground gum arabic, glucose, and mix everything well by kneading.
- Grind the gum arabic with a tablespoon of sugar in a small mortar and sieve it.
- Add the orange blossom water little by little while kneading the almond paste well. You need to knead it for at least fifteen minutes. Depending on the quality of the almonds, the paste may release oil. This is not a problem.
- (If you have the Moulinex 123 mixer, it gives a very good result)
- Continue to knead it, adding orange blossom water until you obtain a soft and malleable paste of a lighter color. You should be able to roll it into a ball and form thin rolls without them cracking.
- Form small 20g sausages and place them on a plate. Cover them with plastic wrap.
Coating
- Pass them one by one in beaten egg white and roll them either in sliced almonds or sesame seeds. Shape them into gazelle horns, more or less thin according to your taste.
- Place them on a buttered tray lined with parchment paper. Let them dry for 1 hour before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 165°C and bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Don't brown them too much or you'll get hard gazelle horns.
- Remove from the tray when out of the oven and let cool before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
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