Ghoriba – Moroccan Cookies
Ghoriba, also known as ghriba, is a traditional Moroccan cookie that comes in many variations, from almond ghoriba to semolina ghoriba. The word itself, ghriba, means the mysterious and it seems that the cookies were introduced to Moroccans by Andaloussi who fled to Spain and then came back to Morocco, bringing the recipe with them. Of course, the original recipe was adapted to Oriental spices, including rose water, lemon, orange, almonds or honey and many variations are known nowadays. Bottom line is that ghoriba is the perfect tea time cookie. It’s crisp and crunchy on the outside and it literally melts in your mouth with each bite.
I love the contrast between the outside and inside and ghoriba – Moroccan cookies offer an interesting experience with each bite. It’s the type of cookie that you can dip in a cup of hot chocolate or tea as it will soak up the liquid and become even more delicious!
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Ghoriba – Moroccan Cookies
Ingredients
- 400 g all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 200 g powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 40 g butter
- 45 ml vegetable oil (coconut oil, peanut oil, sun-flower oil)
- Powdered sugar for coating
Instructions
- Sift the flour with salt and baking powder in a bowl.
- Mix the oil and butter in a heatproof bowl and melt them in the microwave just until melted. Let them cool to room temperature before using.
- In the bowl of your mixer, combine the eggs with 200g powdered sugar and mix at least 5 minutes or until tripled in volume. Add the vanilla and almond extract.
- Gradually stir in the melted oil and butter then add the flour mixture to form an easy-to-work-with dough.
- Knead the dough a few times to bring it together then wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours, even better overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 350F – 175C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Spoon 1-2 cups of powdered sugar on a platter. I recommend sifting it as well for a better coating.
- Remove the dough from the fridge then take small pieces of dough and shape them into a ball. As a reference, my pieces of dough had between 13 and 15g.
- Roll each ball through powdered sugar, making sure it’s very well coated and place the cookies on your prepeared baking sheets.
- Bake in the oven for 10-14 minutes just until slightly golden brown on the edges. Don’t overbake them as they will dry out too much.
- Let them cool in the pan before transferring on a platter or airtight container.
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