Moroccan Cookies (Ghriba)
Ghriba cookies are soft, chewy Moroccan almond cookies coated with powdered sugar. This is an easy no chill recipe. They're made with simple ingredients and ready in about 30 minutes!
Servings: 22 cookies
Calories: 114kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour or ground blanched almonds
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water or rose water or zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup powdered sugar for coating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Pour the powdered sugar into a shallow bowl or pie plate.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk to combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the granulated sugar and almond flour (or ground almonds). Use your hands or a spatula to rub the butter and orange blossom water into the almond flour mixture til very well combined.
- Add the eggs and dry ingredients and mix together with your hands or a spatula til mixture is completely combined and smooth. The mixture will be somewhat sticky.
- Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the cookie dough. Roll each portion into a ball then roll the cookie dough balls in the powdered sugar. Coat them completely with the powdered sugar. Do not shake off any excess powdered sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Press the tops down very lightly with your fingertips. (Don't flatten them completely, just gently press down the very tops).
- Bake 12-14 minutes until cookies have crinkled and are set when you press them lightly. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
Almond flour: Instead of almond flour, you can use grind your own blanched almonds in a food processor.
About orange blossom water: Orange blossom water is a common ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine. I love its floral, citrusy flavor and it pairs well with almond. You can often find it in the international food aisle, in Middle Eastern stores or online.
Orange blossom water substitute: Swap in rose water in place of orange blossom water. For more of a citrusy flavor, add the zest of 1 lemon in place of orange blossom water.
Decoration: Stick or press one almond into each cookie dough ball before baking. Almonds make a nice decoration. They also let people know the flavor of the cookies!
Storage: Store baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Chill unbaked cookie dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Freeze cookie dough balls (not coated in powdered sugar) for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for at least 30 minutes then roll in powdered sugar and bake as instructed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 83mg | Potassium: 10mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 53IU | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
