Almond briouats
Crisp, golden triangles of paper-thin pastry filled with a fragrant almond paste, then dipped in warm orange blossom honey. They are sweet, nutty and lightly floral, and are best eaten the day they are made.
Ingredients
Instructions
Toast the ground almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then stir in the confectioners’ sugar, almond extract, 1 tablespoon orange blossom water and the toasted almonds. Mix until it forms a smooth paste. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lay the phyllo sheets on a smooth surface and, with a sharp knife, cut them into strips about 4 inches wide and 12 inches long, to make about 18 strips. Brush each strip with melted smen and fold it in half lengthwise to make a strip about 2 inches wide.
Brush the top of a strip with more smen and place 1 tablespoon of the filling at one end. Fold the corner over diagonally to make a triangle, then keep folding the strip over itself like a flag, trimming off any extra pastry. Repeat with the remaining strips.
Place the briouats on a greased baking sheet and brush the tops with smen. Bake for about 30 minutes, checking from 20 minutes on, until deep golden.
Heat the honey, water and remaining orange blossom water in a wide saucepan over medium heat. When it comes to a boil, add the hot briouats 6 at a time and leave for about 20 seconds, turning once. Lift them out with two forks onto a marble slab or a tray. Let them cool completely, then separate and arrange on a platter. Serve the same day.
Notes
Keep the phyllo covered with a damp kitchen towel while you work, as it dries and cracks within minutes. Moroccan cooks use warqa, a thin, flexible pastry, and phyllo is the common substitute; double the layers if your sheets are very thin.
Smen is aged Moroccan butter with a strong, cheesy flavor. If you cannot find it, ghee or clarified butter gives the same crisp, golden finish with a milder taste.
Add the briouats to the honey while they are still hot, and keep the honey thin and hot, not cold and syrupy. If it thickens, reheat it with a spoonful of water.
Variations
Fry instead of baking: deep-fry the filled triangles in vegetable oil until light golden, then dip in the hot honey. This is the more traditional method for many Moroccan cooks.
Replace half of the almonds with peanuts, or use a peanut paste, as in some Moroccan versions.
Add a pinch of cinnamon to the filling, or a little mastic powder.
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds after the honey dip.
Source
Briouats (also spelled briwat) are Moroccan pastries made with warqa, a paper-thin dough, and folded into triangles or cylinders. They come in savory versions, filled with chicken, lamb or fish, and sweet ones filled with almond or peanut paste, fried or baked and dipped in warm honey scented with orange blossom water.
Sweet briouats are a staple of Ramadan, when many Moroccan families make large batches ahead of the month and serve them alongside other sweets such as chebakia and sellou. They also appear at tea time and on special occasions.