Moroccan Cookies

I had these out at our Thanksgiving Dinner and they were well received.  The spices made them more of an adult treat which was fine because there was plenty of other treats for the younger guests.  I got this recipe out of Food and Drink Holiday 2015.

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp each of ground coriander (I substituted Cumin) cardamom and salt
1/2 tsp each of curry powder and cinnamon
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup finely chopped skin on almonds
1 egg white
1 tbsp water
Chutney or apricot or pepper jam for filling

• Preheat oven to 325F.
• Combine butter and icing sugar in bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until blended.  In a bowl, stir flour with coriander, cardamom, salt curry powder and cinnamon.  Add about half to the butter mixture in food processor bowl.  Pulse until blended.  Add all remaining flour mixture and pulse until even in texture.  Then with the machine running, slowly add milk through the feed tube just until the dough forms into a ball.   You may not need all the milk.  Use floured hands to form dough into a ball.
• Place nuts in a small bowl.  In another bowl, whisk egg white with 1 tbsp water.  Using a round shaped (rather than oval shaped) tsp measuring spoon, scoop out a rounded amount, about 1/2 tbsp of dough.  Roll into 1 inch ball.  Coat ball with egg white wash, then roll in nuts until evenly coated.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining dough, placing cookies about 1 inch apart.
• Using your pinky finger or the end of a wooden spoon, make a deep indent in centre of each cookie.
• Bake until cookie fleets firm when pressed and the bottoms are lightly browned, from 17 to 22 minutes.  While still warm, dent centres again to assure room for the chutney.  Cool on pan 5 minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely.  Serve right away or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to a week.
• Just before serving, fill thumb print centres with chutney or jam.

Makes 48 cookies

EASY ALMOND TOPPED COOKIES

• Prepare cookie dough in balls as in Moroccan Cookies.  Do not coat with chopped nuts.  Place on parchment lined baking sheets and flatten cookies with your finger or tines of a fork to a 1/3 inch thickness.  Press a whole unblanched almond into the top of each.  Bake as above.