Kwareżimal
Kwareżimal is a traditional Maltese Lenten sweet. An easy to make almond biscuit with a spiced and citrusy aroma, perfect for teatime!
Ingredients
For the Kwareżimal
- 400 g self-raising flour (3 1/4 cups)
- 400 g ground almonds (4 cups)
- 100 g caster sugar (1/2 cup)
- 30 ml olive oil (2 tbsp)
- 30 ml orange flower water (2 tbsp)
- 50 g orange candied peel diced (2/3 cup)
- 15 g cocoa powder (2 tbsp)
- 2 g ground cinnamon (1 tsp)
- 2 g mixed spice (1 tsp)
- 1 lemon zest
- 1 orange zest + juice of 1/2 an orange
- 120 ml water (1/2 cup)
For the toppings
- Honey/Agave Syrup/Maple Syrup
- Chopped almonds (other nuts)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and sprinkle some flour on top. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl sift the flour and combine with the olive oil and the orange flower water. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the water.
- Start adding the water slowly as the dough might need less than mentioned. Knead into a sticky dough, which is the consistency we are looking for.
- Slightly flour your hands and start shaping the dough into long oblongs of about 14 cm. Place on a baking tray, and leave some space between them. With a knife make some crossing lines.
- Bake for 20 minutes exactly. It's important to not overcook the biscuit.
- While they are still hot, brush with a syrup or honey and press on the chopped nuts.
- Let them cool and enjoy with your favourite cup of hot beverage!
Notes
- To make them vegan, substitute the honey with maple syrup or agave syrup.
- For a sugar free version swap the sugar with stevia, honey, maple or agave syrup. Although be careful, if using syrups, as you have to put only 3/4 of the amount so that your mixture doesn't get too runny. For example, for the recipe below, substitute 100g of caster sugar with 75g honey.