Ghraybeh, Ghoraybeh and also Ghorayeba are Lebanese shortbread cookies that is very popular throughout the Middle East. These 3-ingredient cookies are not overly sweet, melt in your mouth cookies.
Next time try these pecan snowball cookies.
These Eid cookies are a wonderful way to start any holiday baking. Very popular in Egypt during Eid, Easter and for weddings too.
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❓Why This Recipe Works
This recipe I've learned from a pastry chef in Egypt, so it is a perfected recipe. Ghraybeh is like basbousa, very easy and straight forward recipe yet it is hard to master. But with these tips and tricks you will get a bakery style ghraybeh every time.
📝 Recipe Ingredients
📋 Ingredient Notes
- Ghee is a must in this recipe, butter will give you a crunchy cookie and not a soft one.
🥣 Equipment
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- A mixer, this recipe is easier using a mixer and not by hand. This KitchenAid has been with me for the last 15 years and never failed me so far.
- A kitchen scale, and I cannot stress this enough. Here is an inexpensive one to start with or go with the pro one here.
- Sturdy aluminum baking sheet that does not bend or twist and heats evenly.
🥄 Recipe Instructions
- In you mixer bowl, add the ingredients.
- Attach flat beaters to your mixer and beat on low for 4-5 minutes. Increase the speed and continue mixing for 10 more minutes. Your dough will look like cake batter and be of a thick hummus consistency.
- Spoon the dough onto a plastic wrap and freeze for 15-20 minutes or refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal parts, take one part out, cover the rest and refrigerate.
- With a spoon or a small scoop take part of the dough about 11-12 grams. You will need to use the kitchen scale do not eyeball it.
- Roll the dough between the palms of your hands into small balls until smooth.
- Place the dough on an aluminum sheet pan, press top lightly to flatten and press pistachios, or a pine nut , on top if desired.
💡 Tips
Expert Tip: The secret behind a smooth, fine textured Ghraybeh is to beat it for a long time. We are talking around 15 minutes in your mixer!!
- It is better to add the ghee cold, not frozen but just cold. Adding melted ghee is not right so to get us out of this dilemma of your kitchen temperature and whether you are baking ghorayeba in summer or winter just use cold ghee.
- Some recipes call for 170grams of ghee this made the baked ghraybeh so crumbly and I could not even hold it. Other recipes called for 135grams, again I have found this ghraybeh to be a bit crunchy and did not meet the melt in your mouth characteristic.
- Also many recipes call for 75gram powdered sugar, when I did so the cookie came our bland. Believe it or not only 10grams more made it perfect. If you go over that the cookies might get crunchier.
- This dough is so sticky and cannot be shaped by hand until it is really cold. You can also put the batter in a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe the Ghraybeh onto the baking sheet in 1 ½ inch (3 cm) circles. Refrigerate the sheet for 10 minutes then flatten the top and continue with the recipe as directed.
- Ghraybeh is a very delicate cookie that needs to cool down and set for some time before you can handle it. To know if your cookies has set they should not leave residue on your finger when you touch them and your fingers should not make a dent in the cookies when you left them off the cookie sheet.
- In Egypt Ghorayba is only flavored with ghee no vanilla or anything need to be added. In other parts of the Middle East it is flavored with orange blossom water or rose water this is very common in the Levant area.
- You can make your own ghee, here is very simple and easy method.
⌛ Make Ahead
The dough can stay (rolled or as a ball) in the fridge for up to 3 days. Dough can also stay in the freezer for up to 3 month. It is easier to roll the ghraybeh then freeze than freezing it as a dough ball. Frozen cookies will take a minute or two longer to bake.
🧺 Storage
Store Ghraybeh in a regular container on your counter for 2-3 weeks. Ghraybeh actually gets betterthe second day.
💬 Recipe FAQs
The answer is no, unfortunately you will need to use ghee. Butter will add liquid to the dough which then will develop gluten hence yielding a crunchy cookie which eventually is not Ghrayebh.
I get it oven temperature varies, so the short answer is you should bake them until they look set. The color should be pale and the bottom should not get any color as well. Cookies will feel firm but not hard and when you touch them your fingers will dent the surface.
📣 More Recipes From the Blog
- Pistachio stuffed Kahk is a must have during celebrations in Egypt. Also you might want to try Kahk the traditional way.
- Petit fours are pretty common too. Use chocolate spread or jam, so delicious both ways.
- Love buttery cookies?, try these Lizer cookies they are the best. Soft, buttery and full of flavor.
- Maamoul is a traditional Middle Eastern cookie made usually filled with date. It has a soft texture and a delicate flavor.
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- Irresistible Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies to take your boring cookies to the next level. Decadent and chewy cookies with a gooey caramel center for a heavenly treat for any occasion.
- Cherry cookies are delicious, chewy cookies packed full of cherry flavor. A crowd-pleasing little cookies to enjoy cherries any time.
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Ghraybeh (Ghoraybeh) Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g all purpose flour 2 cups
- 150 g cold ghee ⅔ cup. You can use clarified butter too.
- 85 g powdered sugar ¾ cup
Optional for garnish:
- Pistachios.
Instructions
- In your stand mixer bowl, add flour and powdered sugar and mix with a spoon to combine.
- Add cold ghee and start mixing on low for 4-5 minutes. Your dough will look like a wet sand then it will come to a more dough form.
- Increase the speed to medium low and continue mixing for another 10 minutes. By then your dough will be very creamy more like a good hummus.
- Spoon the dough into a plastic wrap then freeze for 15-20 minutes until firm to handle.
- Preheat your oven to 320F place an oven rack in the middle.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal sections. Take one out leaving the rest in the fridge.
- Scoop out a piece of the dough (11-12grams), roll with the palms of your hands and place directly on an aluminum baking sheet.
- Press the top lightly to flatten and add a pistachio in the middle if you chose to.
- Bake for 15 minutes and do not wait for it to change color, we need it to be pale yellow.
- Let them cool down on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes then transfer them to a cooling wire rack and leave to set completely for at least 2 hours.
Video
Notes
- I cannot stress enough the importance of using a scale for this recipe. Although I have given you the measurements in cups but this is just a rough estimate. A cheap kitchen scale is all we need.
- It is better to add the ghee cold, not frozen but just cold. Adding melted ghee is not right so to get us out of this dilemma of your kitchen temperature and whether you are baking ghorayeba in summer or winter just use cold ghee.
- Some recipes call for 170 grams of ghee this made the baked ghraybeh so crumbly and I could not even hold it. Other recipes called for 135 grams, again I have found this ghraybeh to be a bit crunchy and did not meet the melt in your mouth characteristic.
- Also many recipes call for 75 gram powdered sugar, when I did so the cookie came our bland. Believe it or not only 10grams more made it perfect.If you go over that the cookies might get crunchier.
- Homemade powdered sugar will not work in this recipe.
- This dough is so sticky and cannot be shaped by hand until it is really cold. You can also put the batter in a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe the Ghraybeh onto the baking sheet in 1 ½ inch (3 cm) circles. Refrigerate the sheet for 10 minutes then flatten the top and continue with the recipe as directed.
- This is a very delicate cookie that needs to cool down and set for some time before you can handle it. To know if your cookies has set they should not leave residue on your finger when you touch them and your fingers should not make a dent in the cookies when you left them off the cookie sheet.
- In Egypt Ghraybeh only flavored with ghee no vanilla or anything need to be added. In other parts of the Middle East it is flavored with orange blossom water or rose water this is very common in the Levant area.
- Make ahead:
- The dough can stay (rolled or as a ball) in the fridge for up to 3 days. Dough can also stay in the freezer for up to 3 month. It is easier to roll the ghraybeh then freeze than freezing it as a dough ball. Frozen cookies will take a minute or two longer to bake.
- To store:
- Store Ghraybeh in a regular container on your counter for 2-3 weeks.
Nutrition
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First published Jul 27, 2014 . Last updated May 6, 2021 with important tips, clear step by step instructions and readability.
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Susan Naufel Hines
Although tasty, my dough hasn’t come out creamy. I had to add a few splashes of milk to get the dough to stick together. Very frustrating.
Amira
Susan, do you mean not creamy as a dough or after baking (not buttery enough). We do not add milk or liquids of any sort to this dough though.
Mona
Hi Amira,
I tried tonight to make your recipe for the Ghorayeba to the letter but when I got the dough out of the freezer after 12 min, it was so hard. I left it outside for a little bit but then the dough was so sticky and I couldn't handle it.. I put it back in the fridge and it got hard!! I don't know what to do and I figured to ask you hoping you can see this and help me with it.
Thanks so much, I love your recipes and have always been very successful at it but not this time.. I'm hoping to hear from you so I can still fix this...
Amira
Mona, maybe your fridge is colder than mine but anyways. Ghrayba dough has a lot of butter that's why we cannot leave it at room temperature. When I took the dough out of the freezer it was rock hard as well. After dividing it into sections, leaving a quarter out and refrigerating the remaining dough, the piece I should work with got a bit softer so I could scoop it and roll between my hands. If I left it longer it would have gotten too soft and I would not be able to roll them. It is a matter of finding your sweet spot keeping in mind the temperature of your kitchen too. I wish I could be there with you to help you out.
Mary
Beautiful recipe worked out perfectly well and made 30 exactly.
Thank you amira
Lucy
Very delicious cookie, thank you for the recipe and helpful suggestions
Mo
Followed the directions exactly and these came out great! Turned out just like the ones my grandmother used to make. Thank you for sharing
Amira
Love grandmother recipes, they are the best.
Jacqueline Greenberg or Jackie Green
thank you Amira your reciepes are the very best and your explanation is totally intelligent and a pleasure to follow up - for sure they are not intimidating.
Amira
Thank you Jacqueline happy you like what you see here :).
rose
Cannot wait to try this - the subtle tips about ghee vs butter and blending longer will make a difference from my usual shortbread - I already understand this from your excellent explanations! Thank you so much for sharing.
Amira
Thanks rose, let me know how it went with you.
Dalia Blass
Perfect! Reminded me of my teta’s recipe. Agree the dry milk makes a huge difference. Just a little adds so much.
Amira
Than you Dalia, I am happy you liked it.
Cindy Chapelle
Thank you for this recipe - I followed your recipe and it brought back my grandmother's kitchen. Although Greek/Italian/Maltese, she lived in Egypt in the first half of the 20th century. A family favourite.
Amira
Thank you so much Cindy for your feedback, so happy it brought back good old memories.
Ru
Dear Amira, I really appreciate you posting recipes in English as it helps introduce Arabic cuisine to the rest of the world.
However, it is important to credit each country its recipes. It is well known that ghoraybiyeh is syrian, the same way it is well known that um Ali is Egyptian.
I would really appreciate it if you corrected your recipe description to make it accurate.
Amira
Ru, Thank you.
Olivia - Primavera Kitchen
I ALWAYS learn something new and delicious when I visit your blog, Amira! I love this recipe! I have to try it cause looks so tasty 😉
Denise Browning@From Brazil To You
They are the perfect afternoon snack to have with coffee or tea.
deepti
What a wonderful cookie this is.. butter is definitely a wonder ingredient 🙂
Juliana
Happy Eid Amira...these cookies look great, I love the idea of melting in my mouth....yum!
Have a great weekend 😀
Sadaf F K.
Asalaam O alaikum Amira,
MashaAllah you've baked so lovely cookies, I'm drooling here. 🙂 I think this is perfect treat for Eid to serve guest with hot cup of tea, or having it our-self. 😉
P.S. I've tried your yogurt frosting on my banana cupcakes to share at this Eid Eat Party and Amira it was a perfect blast, seriously. JazakALLAH for sharing it. 🙂
Asiya @ Chocolate & Chillies
These sound like a wonderful treat on Eid! I love to see how Eid traditions vary from each region! Thank you for participating in Eid Eats and Eid Mubarak!
John@Kitchen Riffs
Great looking cookies! Love the flavors in these. Happy Eid!
Evelyne@cheapethniceatz
Happy Eid and I would these cookies. Melt in your mouth is an awesome description 🙂
Sarah
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us - love the video!
Saffy
Yum, they look super delicious! Love that you included a video AND step-by-step photos!
lapetitepaniere
Amira, your Ghoraybea look delicious , we call them Ghribiya in Algeria and I love it with a good Latte 🙂 Eid Mubarak!
Amira
Eid Mubarak to you too my dear, I think these cookies are known all around the region with different names 🙂 thanks for letting me know.
Joanne T Ferguson
G'day! Thank you for allowing me to learn something new! Happy Eid and I love the look and sound of your cookies too!
Cheers! Joanne @What's On The List
I hope you will think to share them at my #SayGdayParty
Amira
Hi Joanne... Thanks for your sweet comment my dear. I'd be more than happy to share them.