M'Hanncha Moroccan Almond Pastry Recipe

M'Hanncha - Moroccan Almond Pastry Recipe

How to make M'Hanncha a traditional Moroccan pastry that looks like a coiled snake. It is filled with a scented almond paste and dipped in honey syrup. Totally unique and delicious!
M'hencha" Almond and Honey Sweets
:
1 roll of Pastilla dough (or fillo dough)
1 kg almonds
(250rams) white pouder sugar
(125 ml) butter (melted)
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
one small egg
80 ml orange blossom water (to taste)
1 egg + 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)
Vegetable oil for frying
Honey
Sesame seeds or almond

How to
Place a frying pan over medium heat and before it heats up add 250 gm of blanched almonds. Fry stirring occasionally till golden brown.
Grind the almonds as well till pasty with 5 tbsp of the orange blossom water. Add to 250 g of powder sugar. Add in the cinnamon, the smelted butter, , and one small egg mix well till everything is incorporated and the mixture if pressed holds together.
Place the fillo dough or the pastilla rounds next to each other overlapping by a couple of inches. Brush generously with the melted butter-oil mixture. place about 1/3 of the filling at the edge and fold the pastilla sheets inwards tightly. To shape the mhancha into the traditional snail shape once done folding into a log fold it inwards. brush geenrously with the melted butter and tuck the ends under. If desired leave the mhancha as log. Place in a brushed sheet with melted butter and bake in a180 preheated over for 30 to 45 minutes. While the mhancha is inside the over still heat up the honey and the three tbsp of orange blossom water and drizzle it on the mhancha once out of the oven. Leave to cool completely
Serve with coffee or tea