Kwareżimal
Kwareżimal is a traditional Maltese Lenten sweet. An easy to make almond biscuit with a spiced and citrusy aroma, perfect for teatime!
Prep Time30 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time50 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Maltese, Mediterranean
Keyword: Lent
Servings: 12
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
- Chopped almonds (other nuts)
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 honey and press on the chopped nuts.
Let them cool and enjoy with your favourite cup of hot beverage!
- 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.