Ghraybeh Cookies
On the holiday called Eid-ul-Fitr, Muslims come together to rejoice and of course feast! The general merriment is fueled with music, games and platters of steaming scrumptious food and let’s not forget to mention cookies. This rich butter cookie is named after the Arabic word for “swoon”, ghraybeh. Try this exotic recipe and see if you swoon for it. Be sure to ask an adult to help you.
- 1/2 cup cake flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semolina
- 1 cup clarified butter (heat butter until it separates into a milky substance on the bottom and a clear yellow one above. The clarified butter is the clear yellow liquid. )
- 2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon orange flower water
- 30 blanched almonds (”Blanched” in this case means that the brown skin has been peeled off. You can buy these already peeled.)
- sifter
- two bowls
- baking sheet
- Preheat oven to 275 °F.
- Sift the cake, all-purpose and semolina flours together and set aside.
- Beat the butter until it is fluffy (at least 10 minutes).
- Beat for 2 more minutes while you sprinkle in the blossom water and confectioner’s sugar.
- Gradually fold the flour mixture into the butter and sugar.
- Refrigerate the soft dough for 10 minutes in a covered bowl.
- Shape the dough into diamond shapes with 1 inch sides.
- Place the diamonds about 1/2 inch part on an ungreased baking sheet and put an almond in the center of each cookie.
- Bake about 35 to 40 minutes. Don’t over bake them. Let the cookies cool for at least an hour. They taste best after they have cooled for several hours. Are you swooning yet?

















