Home » Traditional Maltese Kwarezimal (Lenten Biscuits) (Gf, Df)

Traditional Maltese Kwarezimal (Lenten Biscuits) (Gf, Df)

by Kimberly Magri
Traditional Maltese Kwarezimal

Jump to recipe

Kwarezimal is a traditional Maltese recipe enjoyed during the Lent period, hence ‘Lenten Biscuits’. They are a delicious blend of ground almonds, orange blossom, and mixed spices which are then glazed with honey and topped with even more almonds. In summary, traditional Maltese Kwarezimal are full of goodness. They also happen to be naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, which is great news for anyone with allergies or intolerances. Who says you need to miss out? 😉



Traditional Maltese Kwarezimal have a crunchy outside and a softer middle. The dough is really quick and easy to make and a simple process, overall. They are slightly similar to the filling in Maltese figolli, both in taste and texture. As someone who LOVES figolli, this is wonderful to me! They are traditionally enjoyed throughout the months of March and April, so make a batch and indulge.

As always, let me know if you make them, I’d love to see!

Happy indulging,

Kim x

For more holiday and seasonal recipes, click here. For more Maltese recipes, click here.



Yield: 6 Kwarezimal

Traditional Maltese Kwarezimal Recipe (Lenten Biscuits) (Gf, Df)

Traditional Maltese Kwarezimal

Kwarezimal is a traditional Maltese recipe enjoyed during the Lent period, hence 'Lenten Biscuits'. They are a delicious blend of almonds, citrus, sugar and mixed spices which are then glazed with honey and topped with more almonds.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Bake Time 17 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 cups pure ground almonds (750g)
  • 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (250g)
  • 2 tsp cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp mixed spice and 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 medium eggs, room temp. (or water - as needed)
  • Zest and juice of 1 orange
  • 2 tsp orange blossom water
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp almond liquor (optional)
  • Honey, to glaze
  • Chopped roasted almonds, to top

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 175°c. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the almonds, sugar, cocoa and spices together until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining wet ingredients together.
  3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture, a little at a time until it forms a dough by hand. You might not need to use all of the wet mixture.
  4. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Roll each into a log shape. (Do not flatten, it will spread out in the oven on its own). Make horizontal criss-cross dents on the top with the back of a knife.
  5. Bake for around 12-14 minutes in the middle rack, then move to a higher rack and bake for another 2-4 minutes. Do not over-bake or it will harden. Take out of the oven and brush immediately with honey. Sprinkle the tops with chopped roasted almonds.
  6. Let cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

Store in a sealed container in a cool dry place for up to a week. Freeze for longer storage.

Size: Approx. 12cm x 4cm.

Note: You can use mixed ground almonds if you do not have pure. If you don't want to use eggs, you can use water. Add it slowly at the end, as needed until it all comes together.

Recipe Feature



You may also like

14 comments

Therese 22nd January 2021 - 5:59 am

Do you have metric version of kwarezimal please.
Thanks in advance

Reply
Kimberly Magri 2nd February 2021 - 10:33 pm

Hi Therese. The measurements are in metric cups. Do you mean in grams? 🙂

Reply
Connie 28th February 2021 - 6:11 pm

Hi can I have recipe in grand please as I tried to convert them myself but I’m getting different weights
Tks

Reply
Kimberly Magri 2nd March 2021 - 10:53 pm

Hi Connie. Unfortunately, I usually use cups instead of the scale to measure so I don’t have the recipe in grams. However if I make them again I will keep this in mind and weigh everything out to update the recipe. 🙂

Reply
Sarah DeGabriele 2nd March 2021 - 9:17 pm

Hi I would also like recipe in grams if possible please. Also, the 2 tsp mixed spice and cinnamon, are they one tsp of each? (1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp mixed spice in equal quantities?)

Reply
Kimberly Magri 2nd March 2021 - 10:53 pm

Hi Sarah. Unfortunately, I usually use cups instead of the scale to measure so I don’t have the recipe in grams. However if I make them again I will keep this in mind and weigh everything out to update the recipe.

As for the spices, I’ve updated the recipe. It’s 2 tsp of each. 🙂

Reply
Catherine Vella 4th March 2021 - 11:21 pm

Receipy of qaghqa tal ghid pls Thanks

Reply
Kimberly Magri 20th March 2021 - 10:53 pm

Hi, I haven’t developed a recipe for this yet but will keep it in mind! 🙂

Reply
Abigail Psaila 9th March 2021 - 7:59 pm

Thank you for the recipe it’s very good! If I may pipe in, I tried to convert the cups to grams and used 750g almond and 250g sugar and it came out amazing. Thank you again 🙂

Reply
Kimberly Magri 20th March 2021 - 10:50 pm

So glad they turned out great! Thank you for the measurement in grams, will add as a note. 🙂

Reply
Rita 21st February 2022 - 2:42 pm

I like this recipe. It looks interesting. I will surely try making this recipe. Thanks Kimberly for sharing dear.

Reply
Kimberly Magri 13th April 2024 - 6:39 pm

Hi. Sorry for the late reply. Thank you!

Reply
Aurélie 7th March 2024 - 10:28 am

Bonjour, il n’y a pas de farine dans la recette ?

Reply
Kimberly Magri 13th April 2024 - 6:06 pm

Hi. No flour is used in this recipe. 🙂 Ground almonds are used instead.

Reply

Leave a Comment

* By leaving a comment, you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website.

Skip to Recipe