Egyptian Ghorayebah, so unbelievably easy to make and tastes yum! It’s a cousin of Scottish shortbread but with a smoother texture. ..think melt-in-your-mouth.
A general rule is the ratio of fat to dry which is around 65%. Knowing that, you can play around a bit.
Just keep in mind a higher fat ratio will give a softer ghorayeba but it will also spread.
Increasing the sugar to flour ratio will give a sweeter ghorayeba but with more crunch.
There’s also also a secret ingredient. ..egg whites…rounds out the texture and all you need is a tablespoon!
The only thing you really need to take care of is your baking time and oven heat. Ghorayeba needs to be pale not tinged brown with a golden bottom.
Enjoy!
Egyptian Ghorayebah
Ingredients:
175 gm flour
50 gm icing sugar
150 gm ghee, room temp but solid
1 tbsp egg white mixed with a little vanilla
Pinch of salt
Pale roasted almonds for decoration.
Extra soft butter or ghee to grease the baking tray
Preheat your oven to 160°C
Method:
- Prep your tray by lining it with grease proof paper (optional) and brushing it with soft butter or ghee.
- Add the icing sugar to the ghee and cream in the together until well combined. It should be lighter in colour and somewhat fluffy.
- Add the egg white and vanilla and beat in till completly mixed in.
- Add in the flour whisked with the pinch of salt and start mixing in first with your mixer or spoon then continue with your hands to get a feel for the dough. It should be very soft and smooth. It should be easy to shape into a ball that doesn’t stick to your palms and leaves the bowl clean. Just don’t over work the dough with your hands. If your hands are a bit warm run them under cold water, dry them off and then mix the dough.
- Start cutting off small walnut sized pieces of the dough and rolling them into balls between the palms of your hands. Lightly make a depression on the top side in the centre and smooth the sides with your finger. Lighter depressions than the ones I made in the pic below 🙂
- Arrange the ghorayebas on the baking tray spaced apart as they will spread a little. Place an almond in the depression on top of each ghorayeba. I only had halves so I put in 2.
- Place in the fridge to rest for 10 min then bake at 160°C for 20min. If you doubt your oven accuracy, like I do mine, place a heat thermometer in and adjust the oven accordingly.
At 20min check, it should be cooked through, still pale and feels soft to the touch. Lift one up and check its underside, it should be slightly golden. Nothing should be browned!
If the underside is still white or pale give it 5 min then check again. Then another 5 min if needed. It shouldn’t take more than 30 min.
Perfectly golden 
Too browned 😦
- Once they are ready, take the tray out of the oven and leave to cool for 5 min before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes:
- Store ( if you have any left to store in the first place;-) ) in an airtight container.
- If your hands are warm or the kitchen is warm handle the dough as lightly and quickly as possible so you don’t melt the ghee in the dough.
Riham's Messy Kitchen! 