Ghriba (Moroccan coconut cookie)

Prep Time: 15 minutesCook Time: 10 minutesCool Time: 1 hourServes: 4Complexity: easy

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Ingredients
5.3 oz (150 grams) of dried unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup (50 grams) semolina (you can replace with almond meal for a gluten-free version)
1/2 cup (50 grams) powdered suga
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
A pinch of salt
Powdered sugar
Orange blossom water (or just regular water)
Directions
Step 1: Mixing the Dry Ingredients
* If you are using dried coconut that is coarsly chopped, place it in the food processor and mix until you get dried coconut with a very fine texture.
* Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl: finely shredded dried coconut, semolina (or almond meal), baking powder, and pinch of salt.
Step 2: Mixing the Wet Ingredients
* Using and egg beater, beat the egg with the sugar until you get a whitish mixture.
* Add the vanilla extract and continue beating for another 30 seconds.
Step 3: Mixing the Dry and Wet Ingredients
* Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and using your hand, mix all the ingredients until well incorporated. Add the vegetable oil.
* Cover the bowl containing the dough with a plastic wrap and let rest on your kitchen counter for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Shaping and Baking the Cookies
* Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C).
* Cover a baking pan with parchment paper.
* To shape the cookies, wet your hand with a little bit of orange blossom water (or just water), take some of the coconut dough and make a ball the size of a walnut, roll the dough ball in powdered sugar, pad the coconut ball a bit to flatten in, then place it on the baking pan.
* Bake the cookie for 10 minutes. Do not overbake or the cookies will become hard when they cool down.
* Once the cookies are done, remove from the oven, and let cool down on the baking pan (do not move them, or they would break! the cookies are soft when they are still hot).
* Let the cookies cool down before moving them to a plate. Dust them with powdered sugar before serving.

Bon Appetit!