Ka’ab El Ghzal - Moroccan gazelle horn pastries
Ka’ab El Ghzal is a classic Moroccan pastry made with a flour-based dough wrapped around an almond paste filling flavoured with ma’zaher (orange blossom water) and covered in a thin pastry.
The name ka’ab el gzhal, is often mistranslated as ‘gazelle horn’ due to its elongated crescent-shaped appearance being reminiscent of the horns of this animal. A better translation would be gazelle ankle. Ka’ab, is the source of the name Yakov or Jacob who was born clutching the heel of his twin brother but it also refers to a heel denoting something bulging or protruding, which in this case is the filling.
The dough was originally made with smen (salted, fermented, clarified butter made with sheep’s milk) but nowadays it is common to find butter made from cow’s milk. A little meska (Arabic gum) is added to the dough to help stabilise and make it smooth. This fabulous jewel of an ingredient is the sap of wild acacia trees which grow throughout the Sahel region from Senegal to Somalia. 80% of commercial production is centred in Sudan.
The pastries are shaped then baked and dipped in more ma’zaher and icing sugar. Ma’zaher has a rich history dating back to the 17th century in Middle Eastern cuisine and is a distillation of fresh bitter orange blossoms which adds a wonderful scent and flavour to the pastries.
Serve on a silver tray with Moroccan mint tea (see recipe) or wrap individually, seal with gold or silver ribbon and gift to friends and/or neighbours. #March2026 #CA2025
Ka’ab El Ghzal - Moroccan gazelle horn pastries
Ka’ab El Ghzal is a classic Moroccan pastry made with a flour-based dough wrapped around an almond paste filling flavoured with ma’zaher (orange blossom water) and covered in a thin pastry.
The name ka’ab el gzhal, is often mistranslated as ‘gazelle horn’ due to its elongated crescent-shaped appearance being reminiscent of the horns of this animal. A better translation would be gazelle ankle. Ka’ab, is the source of the name Yakov or Jacob who was born clutching the heel of his twin brother but it also refers to a heel denoting something bulging or protruding, which in this case is the filling.
The dough was originally made with smen (salted, fermented, clarified butter made with sheep’s milk) but nowadays it is common to find butter made from cow’s milk. A little meska (Arabic gum) is added to the dough to help stabilise and make it smooth. This fabulous jewel of an ingredient is the sap of wild acacia trees which grow throughout the Sahel region from Senegal to Somalia. 80% of commercial production is centred in Sudan.
The pastries are shaped then baked and dipped in more ma’zaher and icing sugar. Ma’zaher has a rich history dating back to the 17th century in Middle Eastern cuisine and is a distillation of fresh bitter orange blossoms which adds a wonderful scent and flavour to the pastries.
Serve on a silver tray with Moroccan mint tea (see recipe) or wrap individually, seal with gold or silver ribbon and gift to friends and/or neighbours. #March2026 #CA2025
Open in Cookpad AppSteps
- 1
Paste: Add a pinch of sugar to the meska (gum Arabic) and crush using a pestle and mortar into a fine powder. In a food processor, add the blanched almonds and blitz in a food processor until the mixture is powdery. Note: do not process for too long as the oil will start to seep from the almonds.
- 2
Add the meska, sugar, softened butter and orange blossom water and continue processing until comes together into a smooth paste. If it won’t come together try warming it or adding a little milk. Divide the almond paste into 20g pieces around 6 cm long x 2 cm wide. Shape into slightly elongated balls and cover to prevent drying.
- 3
Dough: In a bowl combine the flour and salt. Add the orange blossom water and butter either by rubbing with fingertips or using a food processor. If the dough is too crumbly add more cold water little by little until can form a ball of dough. It should be soft but not sticky. Divide into 4 portions, make each into a ball, cover and let it rest for at least 15 minutes in the fridge.
- 4
Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Roll out the dough as thin as possible. Should be almost transparent. Place almond piece/pieces on the dough and fold the dough over to enclose the filling. Press and shape to form a crescent ensuring the edges are well sealed. Using a pastry cutter cut around leaving a small edge.
- 5
A fancier finish is to join the ends of the piece together to create a horseshoe and place an almond in the centre.
Cover the pieces and let them dry.
- 6
Bake: Preheat the oven to 160ºC fan. Prick the base of each piece and the sides so that the steam can be released during baking. Place in the centre of the oven for 15 - 20 minutes. The gazelle horns should be white, not brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. Dip in orange blossom water and then in icing sugar.
- 7
Note:
If you wish to peel the almonds, add to boiling water for 1 minute before straining and soaking in cold water. Peels should come off easily.
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