Ghraybey_Middle Eastern Butter Cookies

Tags

butter cookies, cookies, Dessert, ghraybeh, ghreybeh, middle eastern, shortbread, بسكويت الزبده, غريبه

Delicate, buttery shortbread cookies, a special occasion treats in many middle eastern countries.

Ghraybeh [ghray-beh] or ghreybey is a soft middle eastern butter cookie garnished with pistachios, and it is also referred to sometimes as a sugar cookie or wedding cakes. It is so soft and delicious, due to its abundance in butter ghee and powder sugar, has a distinctive smooth taste that melts in your mouth in seconds.

It is popular in many Middle Eastern countries, especially in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, and the Gulf region. It is also popular in Turkey, Morocco and Greece.

To make Ghraybeh, the dough is first prepared by creaming butter ghee (sometimes use half butter half margarine) with powder sugar, mix in flour and a hint of rosewater or orange blossom water, but you can add vanilla if you like. Small pieces of dough are then cut and rolled by hand to form circular shapes. Whole pistachio pieces are added for garnish, and the dough is baked on medium temperature for 10 minutes. They must remain pale, almost white, to keep their delicious taste and tender.

The cookies come in many shapes - rounds, crescents, diamonds, or S shapes.
It is a cookie best served with coffee or tea.

Ghraybey_Middle Eastern Butter Cookies

1/2 cup sugar confectioner
1/2 cup butter
about 1 1/4 cup sifted cake flour, you may need more
1\2 teaspoon rosewater or orange blossom water(optional)
almonds, pistachios, or pine nuts

Cream the butter and beat in the sugar for about 3-4 min. Until it is smooth cream, add the rosewater.
Gradually, mix in the flour, with hands, mix well until combined, the dough should be soft and pliable when shaped into a ball. If required add 1 -2 tablespoon of flour.
Cover the dough and let rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. heat the oven to 300 f.

Take a small amount of the dough, the size of walnut, roll in your hands and shape into a ball, then flatten slightly with your balm, in the middle press a pistachio nut into the dough. Arrange them on a baking sheet a little apart from each other bake for 10 min.

Do not let them overcook, they must remain white. Let them cool completely before you try to move them.

Anise-Scented Fig and Date Swirls

Tags

anise, Anise cookies, cookie dough, cookies, cream cheese, dried dates, Dried fig, Fruit cookis, Spice cookies, swirl cookies, turbinado sugar

Soft, delectable, sweet cookies touched by the sweet flavor of anise wraped wonderfully of healthful filling of fig and date.

If you want a rating for these cookies, I’ll give 10/10. Yes, can’t believe how delicious these cookies are, all together from the filling to the dough layers.

Another successful recipe from The Gourmet Cookie Book. I made before Biscotti di Regina.

When my son’s 3rd grade class was planning to make bake sale week to collect money for the zoo trip. They were divided into two groups; one to design and sell cards of some zoo animals, and the other making cookies and goods for the bake sale. My son was so excited to be with the bake sale group so he will join me to make some cookies. I searched for a good and healthy cookie recipe to make for the kids, when I found it, I knew this is the one.

You can’t go wrong with the date and fig when it comes to nutrition, which are within the most food rich in fibers and nutrients. To make the filling, it’s better to use a food processor to purée the figs and dates and don’t forget to trim the stems from the figs before pureeing.

The cookie dough is so rich, I used cream cheese to give more extra flavors and yield to soft crunch that will melt in your mouth. The anise will add a pleasant sweet taste to the dough, and usually the taste complement better with fig and date. When making the dough, if it becomes too soft while rolling, chill it in the fridge until it is firm. This also will make it easy when you spread the filling, also make sure to Leave 1/4 inch border when spreading the filling.

Another good advantage, before baking and slicing, you could keep the logs chilled up to a week in the fridge, or freeze for a month, if you see that the amount of the cookies is too much. After baking ke ep the cookies in airtight container to keep up soft and fresh up to a week.

Anise-Scented Fig and Date Swirls

1 cup packed soft dried figs stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 cup packed pitted dates  trimmed and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons anise seeds, ground in an electric coffee/spice grinder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup granulated raw sugar such as turbinado or Demerara

Purée figs and dates with milk and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in a blender or food processor until almost smooth.

Whisk together flour, anise, baking powder and soda, and salt in a bowl. Beat together butter, cream cheese, and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at moderate speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla and yolk until combined well. Add flour mixture and mix at low speed until just combined.

Halve dough and form each half into a rectangle. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, about 1 hour.

Roll out 1 piece of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper into a 9 by 7 inch rectangle, about 1/3 inch thick. Remove top sheet of wax paper and drop half of fig mixture by spoonfuls onto dough, then gently spread in an even layer, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edges. Starting with a long side and using wax paper as an aid, roll up dough jelly-roll style into a log. Roll log in raw sugar to coat completely. Make another log in same manner. Chill logs, wrapped in wax paper, until firm, at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut logs crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices and arrange slices about 2 inches apart on lightly buttered baking sheets. Bake in batches in middle of oven until pale golden, 15 to 17 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread with Earl – Grey Infused Glaze

Tags

Baking, butter cookies, chocolate chip, cookies, cooking with tea, Dessert, Earl Grey, Earl Grey glaze, shortbread, tea glaze, tea time

There comes a time in every week ( or maybe in every day) when nothing is more satisfying than a snack of fresh-from-the-oven cookies, alongside a cold and creamy glass of milk or warming cup of tea.

When I’m talking shortbread cookies, I think of simplicity and little ingredients. This recipe of shortbread has no eggs in it, no baking powder, yet it calls for no cooling after mixing the dough. We don’t need to put everything from the pantry into a batch of cookies—a little restraint can go a long way toward helping us remember the pleasure of the simpler things.

But the absolute best part about shortbread? Butter! Shortbread cookies usually have a high percentage of fat and slightly less sugar than other cookies, leaving you with a not-too-sweet cookie that has a nice buttery flavor to it. The butter gives this classic cookie its just-so-slightly crumbly texture, which makes biting into a piece pure bliss. Butter also makes each bite melt a bit on your tongue as you munch on the cookies.

The glaze is new to me, the first time I used it or even see any recipe calling for it. Delicate Earl Grey tea infused glaze gives this unique flavor to the Cookies, calming and refreshing Earl Grey tea taste.

For optimum flavor, use unsalted butter to allow the flavors of butter, chocolate, orange and tea to stand out.

1 cup butter, unsalted
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp grated orange peel
2 cups all-purpose flour
1\4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 f. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or leave them ungreased.

Using an electric mixer on low-speed, cream the Butter, orange peel and Sugar together in a bowl until combined, Stop the mixer to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Continuing on low-speed, gradually mix in the Flour, cornstarch and Salt. Scrape the bowl. When dough has formed, add in the chocolate chips, then complete the mixing by hand with a wooden spoon.

Roll dough into 1\4 inch thick rectangle on lightly floured board. Cut dough lengthwise into 4 rows and diagonally into 8 rows. Place shortbread 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until bottoms begin to brown. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from pan, cool completely on wire rack. Prepare Earl Grey-Infused Glaze. Drizzle over shortbread.

Earl Grey Infused Glaze:

makes 1\3 cup or enough to drizzle on the cookies

1\4 cup boiling water
3 bags Earl Grey tea
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened

pour boiling water over the tea bags, let steep 3-5 minutes. Remove tea bags.
In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar and butter. Gradually stir in enough tea to make glaze thin enough to drizzle.

My Ultimate Spiced Date Ring Cookies “Ka’ak Bl Ajwa”

Tags

cookies, date-filled cookies, desserts, easter cookies, eid celebration cookies, ka'ak, middle eastern, spiced cookies, كعك, كعك العيد, كعك بالعجوه, بسكويت, بسكويت بالبهارات, حلويات

These are a traditional cookies made on the Eid and Easter holidays in all middle eastern families, and they are really addicting! A little time-consuming but so worth it.
The name in arabic is “Ka’ak Bl Ajwa“, or “The Ring Ka’ak” , “The bracelet Ka’ak“, while others called it “The Easter Ka’ak“. But the names doesn’t matter as it all refers to a very delicious and special cookies. “Ajwa” is the other name of date paste in arabic.

I like to make these cookies to my family more than any cookie recipe, these are not like any cookies. The nutrients loaded in with the uses of multiple seeds and spices, the milk, semolina, the date filling, make these cookies most nutritious for kids to enjoy as a snack or even as a healthy desserts. you can also make it more healthy and cholesterol free by using olive oil only. Enjoy these cookies with a warm cup of milk or hot tea in the evening or in the morning with your coffee.

My recipe passed from my grand mom to my aunt whom she always make it once she visits us, and whom she learnt me how to make it. My husband’s addiction to these cookies let me wants to try to make it by myself when my aunt can’t come.
Although, it looks very hard and time-consuming to make these cookies, but the beautiful aroma of spices that you can’t resist, make these cookies your greatest and really makes you want to try it again and again.

It’s part of the tradition when making these cookies, that is to me like something dreamy that always takes me in dreams to those days, where I can remember all the women in my family gather around to make these cookies in large amounts, then they share the cookies between them. It’s not all about the joy in making these cookies themselves, but the good times they also share. Their stories that each woman could tell. And their everyday life. Their joys, giggles, besides their problems and complains. To me now, these days is like fairy tales that told by our grands which take me to another world of dreaming, to the most beautiful days I ever lived, my childhood.

Some important tips to make these cookies more successful:

• You have the choice to not to do the first step and omit the addition of semolina, that makes it flour only cookies, and in this case you need to use 2 & 1\4 cups of shortening, any of your choice, and the process is faster that you mix the dough and make the cookies in one day.
• For the use of shortening, I sometimes use butter and olive oil only, or you can use butter only, even the traditional way is to use the olive oil only with 1 tbsp ghee for the flavour.
• The dough should be pliable not dry throughout.
• The proving time is vital to the required results, as it ensures the texture of the cookies is light yet perfectly combined.
• The date paste should be soft and not sticky.
• You can pinch the rings with a cookie tweezer to decorate it, also you can sprinkle some icing sugar on the top after baking and cooling.
• The oven temperature is as important as the position of the tray in the oven, watch the cookies through the glass oven while baking.
• Don’t over bake the cookies as they become hard quickly - watch for that light golden colour.
• The cookies can be stored for at least 3 weeks in an airtight tin or plastic container.
• “Practice makes perfect”: remember this saying if your first attempt is not to the required standard. The making of these cookies is very therapeutic once the techniques is mastered. Be patient.

Spiced Date Ring Cookies ‘Ka’ak Bl Ajwa”

recipe makes around 100 cookies

2 cups(0.75 lb)(340 gm) semolina
8 cups(2.20 lb)(1000 gm)(1 kg) all-purpose flour
3 cups shortening (softened butter, ghee, or oil) preferable if third butter(soft), third ghee or Crisco (melted), and third olive oil
1\2 cup(115 gm)(4 oz) icing  sugar
1\2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1\2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp Mahlab , ground (black cherry kernels) (available at Middle Eastern stores)
1\2 tsp gum arabic, ground (Arabic miska)
1\2 tsp cardamom
1 tbsp black Nigella seeds – the black seed
3 tbsp sesame seeds
1\4 cup dried milk powder
2 tbsp ground anis seeds plus 1 tbsp whole seed
2 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp baking powder(use only baking powder if you like it to crunch otherwise you can add 1\2 tsp dry yeast with 3 tbsp warm water and 1 tbsp sugar, this will make it less crunchy)
1\4 cup of rose-water + orange blossoms
about 1 cup tap water or you can use milk if you don’t like the dried

Directions:
First day:
In a large bowl, add the semolina and the melted ghee or shortening (Crisco is a good choice, I always prefere to use it), mix. Cover and leave for ten hours, or overnight.

Next day:
Measure flour and spices (all the dry ingredient except the liquids) in  the soaked semolina bowl. Add the softened butter and the olive oil mix (you can use corn oil).

Stirring well so that the flour mix soaks the butter, rub with your fingertips. Continue rubbing but not kneading for at least 15 min, this is an important step to get the crunch of the cookies.
Rest for 30 minutes, the mix will be crumbly.
Dissolve the yeast (if you want to use it) in 2 tablespoons water and a dash of sugar. When it rises, add to semolina flour mixture.

Add the rose-water and orange blossom, gradually add the warm water and start kneading to make a soft pliable dough.
Test the dough if it’s ready, take a small piece, knead it in your hands to soften, shape it into a rope and pend it and inclose the two ends to make a ring, if get kracked easily then the dough is dry or it need more kneeding, if the dough looks smooth, then it’s ready. Rest the dough for 1\2 hour .

Prepare the baking sheets, set aside. Using a cutting board (I use a rough surface cutting board, this will make it easy to roll the dough). Take a piece of the dough into walnut size ball, kneed it in your fingers first. And a piece of date filling, roll it into a ball smaller than the dough. Roll each ball into a rope. Flatten the dough with your hand and shape it into a long rectangle. Take the date rope and place it directly on the dough. Seal the dough ends around the date paste to enclose. Roll out the log on the cutting board with the bottom of your palm, back and forth until it thins out to your liking. Cut the rope into individual cookies, each about 4 inches long.

Rest the cookie on the baking sheets leaving small space between them. Bake at 400 degrees in a preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until light gold.

For the date paste:

For this amount of dough you will need:
3 bags of pitted date paste (you can find it from any middle eastern store), or you can use whole date then take off the pitts and either work it with your hand or put it in a food processor to make like a paste.
Add to it:
1 tsp cinnamom
1\2 tsp nutmeg
1\2 tsp cardamom
1\4 cup oil or ghee or soft butter

Mix the paste to combine the spices and the shortening, kneed it well in your hands to soften the dates. You can use the food processor to make it more malleable