Massafan
This massafan recipe is the quintessential Wandering Chew recipe, mostly because we have made – literally – hundreds of these cookies over the years. This recipe comes from the kitchen of Evette Mashaal, an Iraqi-Jewish woman who grew up in Baghdad and moved to Montreal with her family when she was thirteen years old. These flourless cookies are a staple Passover recipe for the Mashaal family and are often brought as gifts to family and friends during the holidays. Years after having settled in Montreal, this recipe remains a staple in Evette’s kitchen, so much so that they have become an intergenerational bonding activity between Evette and her granddaughters. Check out this wonderful video made by our friends over at Roots & Recipes of Evette and her family making Massafan in the kitchen together.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
- Rosewater
directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Mix the ground almonds, sugar and cardamom together until evenly combined.
Mix the egg white into the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until the dough comes together. This will take around 1-2 minutes. Wet your hands with rose water and shape into stars. Continue to wet your hands with a little rose water to shape each cookie.
If freezing, place the baking sheet in the freezer until the cookies are frozen and then place the cookies in a single layer in a freezer bag.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until light golden brown. To bake from frozen, bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until light golden brown.
