Rose and Almond Ghriba

By Nargisse Benkabbou

Updated July 28, 2020

Rose and Almond Ghriba
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(1,099)
Comments
Read comments

These delightful cookies, which are adapted from "Casablanca: My Moroccan Food” by Nargisse Benkabbou (Firefly, 2018), are like a cracked and caky rose lukum, a jelly candy often referred to as Turkish delight. Ghriba is a specific type of cookie that Moroccans bake all year long. Recipes vary depending on the region or the family, but they all have one thing in common: They are cracked on the outside and chewy on the inside. When it comes to ghriba, the flavoring possibilities are endless. The most popular varieties are almond, coconut and walnut.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:16 cookies
  • ⅔cup/100 grams confectioners’ sugar, for coating
  • 2¾cups/300 grams ground almonds
  • ⅓cup plus 1 tablespoon/80 grams granulated sugar
  • 2large eggs
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1heaped teaspoon baking powder
  • 1teaspoon rose water
  • ½teaspoon kosher salt
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)

190 calories; 11 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 91 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Place all of the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and use your hands or a large spatula to mix them together until you have a smooth and slightly sticky dough. Scoop the dough in heaping single tablespoonfuls (about 30 grams each) and roll each into a ball, then roll each ball in confectioners’ sugar until completely coated.

  3. Step 3

    Transfer the coated dough balls to the lined cookie sheet and lightly press each with the palm of your hand, but don’t flatten them completely.

  4. Step 4

    Immediately bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the cookies are cracked and firm on the outside. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out. They will keep for up to seven days.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,099 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Barbara

Can you use almond flour in this recipe or is it ground too fine?

BAC

These cookies sound great, but where can I get rosewater?

Sharon Lansing

NYT Notes: - Almond flour = ground almonds - coat with confectioners sugar after baking - rose water can be found in most large supermarkets; can use orange water or vanilla

Saffron

I powdered dried raspberries and mixed them with the powdered sugar. Sounds like a good idea but DON'T DO IT! The plain white one's were yummy.

Mary

The recipe says storing these cookies in an airtight container will allow them to keep for a week. But in an airtight container they immediately lose their exterior crunch. Is there a way to prevent this? I used half almond flour and half ground-up almond slivers, and it worked fine, but almond flour is better. When grinding almonds it is easy to overdo it and have them turn to almond butter. Would melted butter blend into the mixture more smoothly than merely softened butter?

HBT

My mother in law taught me how to make these over 50 years ago. They are a family favorite.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.