Moroccan Pastries from a Church Bazaar!

Church bazaars and craft festivals pop up all over Central Texas during December. Last weekend I visited a few. A Moroccan lady at one church was selling pastries that she made in her own home. I had to try them.

She told me what they were, but of course I promptly forgot. I can only remember the name for the crescent shaped "Horns of the Gazelle,"  or Kaab el Ghazal. I find it interesting that Kaab el Ghazal translates literally from Arabic as ankles of the gazelle, but the pastries are shaped like crescents to resemble the shape of gazelle horns.

The Kaab el Ghazal have a wonderful taste! The outer covering is sort of hard and crunchy and an almond paste filling is inside. Orange flower water gives the concoction a fabulous flavor. These cookies are commonly made for special occasions in Morocco. The recipe for these looks interesting and would probably be worth a try...although I have not made them myself. I think I will give them a try when I have a chance.

The round cookies dusted with powdered sugar are called Ghoriba.They had a delightful almond flavor. The triangular pastries on the left seemed like Baklava, but they might have a specific Moroccan name. The other triangular pastries tasted like coconuts.