Alfajores de Azahar: Almond and Orange Cookies

Every language creates words to refer to something specific to their culture. Words made up of other words.

Germany has so many of these that it has its own word that means "word made up of many words"- Zusammengesetzteswort.

Holy Cannoli! And I even wonder why no one wants to learn my language?

My personal favorite Zusammengesetzteswort might have to be Eckbanksitzer, which literally translates into "person who always sits in the corner of the bench". I am not going to even try to analyze what that might mean about my culture.

True to form, the Spaniards take the more scenic route when creating words; with results that are as achingly beautiful as azahar.

Azahar. Orangeblossom, or the smell of blooming citrus trees that permiates the air. And you even wonder why I wanted to move here?

But for me azahar has yet another meaning. Azahar is Spain, the air pregnant with warm fragrance, the country basking in its vibrancy. Azahar is fresh, fragrant, heart warming comfort.


These cookies are azahares. Two crunchy toasted almond shortbread cookies spiked with orange zest hugging a tangy orange jelly between each other. They are the taste I get when I hear azahar.
And just as azahar, these cookies also have calming properties.

Recipe for Alfajores de Azahar:

Cookies:
100g ground almonds
200g flour70g sugar1 tbs of vanilla sugara pinch of cinnamon
zest of one orange1 egg200 cold butter cut into small pieces
Orange Jelly:
juice of 2 oranges4 Tbs of sugar
Toast the ground almonds in a pan (without any additional fat) until light to darker brown, making sure to continuously stir so as not to burn the almonds. Set aside to cool.Pour flour, sugar, almonds, zest, vanilla, and cinnamon into a bowl. Add the egg and chopped butter.At this point I use those priceless kitchen tools called hands to mix everything into a uniform dough. You do not want to over knead the dough but you also do not want large clumps of butter in the dough. A happy medium will do.Cover the dough in plastic wrap and set in the fridge to cool for about 5 minutes. In the meantime preheat oven to 180 Celsius or 350 Fahrenheit (Convection).Roll out the dough and cut into preferred shape. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.While the cookies are baking dissolve the 4 Tbs of sugar and the orange juice in a pan on medium heat. Take this off the stove once it starts boiling. Use the jelly to coat one side of a cookie while it is still warm, cover with another cookie and set aside to cool. Cookies can be cover with powdered sugar if you want a little more sweetness. and if you want some extra work, melt white chocolate and dunk half of the filled alfajores in, setting them aside to cool for later.
Buen provecho!