Ghorayebah | cookie from Egypt

Couldn't believe that so soon we are on the last day of the second week, this is the 7th recipe of this mega marathon. Though there is still a long way to go I somehow feel that we reached here very quickly. So for the 7th day I am presenting another cookie - this time from Egypt.



Ghorayebah or Ghreybeh is the traditional Egyptian cookies which melt in your mouth as soon as you taste it. They are very similar to our Indian butter biscuits. These cookies are sometimes also called "Queen's bracelet" probably owing to their shape. It seems these cookies are mostly served during Eid occassion.

This cookie is made with just 3 ingredients - butter, flour and sugar. This was the easiest recipe that I have tried until now for this mega marathon. This cookie is shaped like rings in the traditional way, the baked ones actually look like bracelets with a "nut" gem in the centre. I took the measurement in grams rather than cups, and after mixing all the ingredients my dough was slightly crumbly. The result was that I couldn't shape it into rings. Ofcourse we can also make them like flat cookies with the nuts in the middle. But I wanted to shape them into rings. Finally I Added 2 tablespoons of milk and kneaded the dough for another minute. Then I was able to roll them into rings. These cookies taste awesome and really do melt in your mouth. Try them out for yourself.

RecipeSource:veggieplatter
Country: Egypt

Ingredients:

Butter - 100 grams
Sugar - 100 grams
Flour - 200 grams
Milk - 2 tbsp
Pistachios - to garnish



Method:

• Powder the sugar in a mixer. Let the butter be in room temperature.
• Take the butter in a bowl and add the powdered sugar and beat well until the butter turns creamy and fluffy.
• Now add the flour little by little and mix evenly.
• Finally add the milk and knead the dough for 2-3 minutes and make it into a nice round ball.
• Divide the dough into small equal portions. Make small balls of the divided portion - like we make for chapathis.
• Take each small ball and roll it into a thin log of about 4-5 inches long. Bring the 2 ends of the log together and shape it into a ring. Seal the 2 ends and place a pistachio on the seal and press it.
• Repeat the procedure with other balls.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with parchment sheet.
• Place the cookie ring in the baking tray. Don't keep them too close, they puff up a little.
• Bake for about 18-20 minutes until they start turning slightly brown.
• The cookies should remain ivory colored, so don't over-bake them.
• Remove them from oven and let them cool.
• Store in an airtight container.