The lunar eclipse during the recent full moon and this week’s new moon inspired me to try my hand at a gluten-free version of crescent moon cookies, a traditional Moroccan tea cookie. Dense, crispy and layered with flavor, these are perfect to dip in your morning coffee or afternoon tea.
These treats are packed with nutrition, fiber, good fats and the added health benefits of turmeric. In addition to its bright orange hue, this earthy, peppery root has been used for thousands of years in Eastern medicine for its powerful anti-inflammatory properties.
The gluten-free flour blend here is flexible. Feel free to use your own or a ready-made gluten-free blend.
Sesame-Almond Crescent Cookies Makes 2 dozen
1 cup almond flour
½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. honey or maple syrup
1½ tsp. almond extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
1½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp. ground fennel seed
1 pinch nutmeg
½ cup sorghum flour
½ cup sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour)
¼ oat flour
½ cup sesame seeds
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix the almond flour, powdered sugar, honey, almond extract, egg, cinnamon, turmeric, ground fennel seed, nutmeg and butter together until well blended.
• In a smaller mixing bowl, combine the sorghum flour, sweet rice flour and oat flour. Gradually incorporate the flour blend into the butter mixture, kneading with hands if necessary. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Pour the sesame seeds in a small bowl. Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and roll them in the seeds to coat. Then roll the balls into 2-inch long tubes and curve them into crescent moon shapes, tapering the ends.
• Bake 25 minutes until golden brown.
This article appears in April 2014.