Moroccan Almond Phyllo Pastries

Ingredients

• For the filling:
• 1 1/2 cups raw almonds
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• For assembly:
• 12 sheets phyllo dough
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Make the filling by adding the almonds and confectioners' sugar to a food processor and pulsing until the nuts are finely chopped into a rough meal. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, egg yolk, vanilla, and butter, then pulse again until the mixture comes together as a paste. It does not need to be perfectly silky, but the almonds should be very finely ground. Press plastic wrap over the paste and chill it for 30 minutes.
2. Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 350 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place one sheet of phyllo on the lined baking sheet. Brush it with butter, then fold it in half the long way to make a 6- by 8 1/2-inch rectangle. Butter the surface of that rectangle, then set a second phyllo sheet over it with one long side lined up, letting the rest of the sheet extend past the opposite edge. Brush butter over the aligned half of the top sheet, then fold the overhanging half back over so it fits the 6- by 8 1/2-inch rectangle underneath. At this point, you will have 4 layers of phyllo. Do the same thing with 2 more sheets of phyllo, building a 6- by 8 1/2-inch stack with 8 layers.
4. Use the remaining 8 sheets phyllo dough to make two more rectangles the same way, so you have three rectangles total, each with 8 layers.
5. Cut the almond filling into three equal portions. Shape one portion into a 8 1/2-inch log. Set the log along the phyllo, then roll it up like a jelly roll to make a long rope. Wind the rope into a snug coil and brush the outside with butter.
6. Make two more coils the same way, using the remaining phyllo rectangles and almond filling. Bake the coils until they are golden, about 40 minutes. Cool them completely, then finish with a dusting of confectioners' sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.