Ghraybeh

Ghraybeh is also known as Lebanese or Middle Eastern shortbread cookies, basically Arabic butter cookies that are made with just 4 main ingredients and completely melt in your mouth. These Arabic cookies are egg free and so simple to make, and they give you the dantiest, fragrant little biscuits, perfect to enjoy with tea.

Jump to:

• What are ghraybeh?
• What makes this recipe so good?
• Ingredients you need to make ghraybeh:
• How to make easy ghraybeh:
• How to serve Lebanese shortbread cookies:
• Storing leftovers:
• Recipe tips and tricks:
• Recipe FAQs:
• More delicious Middle Eastern desserts:
• Ghraybeh

What are ghraybeh?

Ghraybeh are Middle Eastern shortbread cookies, similar to butter cookies. They are made with just a few ingredients and have a lovely delicate flavor and melt in your mouth texture. You can make these with butter, or for a more traditional biscuit, with ghee.

They are traditionally garnished with pistachios which also give them this lovely nutty flavor, and can also be topped with jam. SO good!

Ghraybeh are very commonly made and consumed in the Levantine, and they are such a great celebratory cookie.

What makes this recipe so good?

• You need just 4 main ingredients, plus the optional added fragrance of rose water and orange blossom water, and pistachios to finish.
• You barely need any effort, just two creaming steps, then adding in the flour before shaping your dough into balls. No special equipment or cookie cutters needed.
• The fragrance of the orange blossom and rose water really elevates these deliciously soft and powdery cookies. This flavor and the texture make these such a unique shortbread cookie.
• They’ll last at least a couple of weeks in an airtight container, so they are a great recipe to have on hand and enjoy with tea or coffee.

Ingredients you need to make ghraybeh:

• Ghee: you can also use unsalted butter in its place. Ghee is clarified butter, a common ingredient in Middle Eastern baking and cooking.
• Powdered sugar: the same thing as icing sugar. Don’t substitute regular granulated sugar because the powdered sugar is what gives these Middle Eastern shortbread cookies their melt in your mouth texture.
• Flour: Regular plain all purpose flour. I really prefer weighing out my flour because it gives a more accurate measurement, but of course you can use measuring cups instead. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping the whole measuring cup into the flour bag.
• Rose water and orange blossom water: These are optional, but I love the fragrance and flavor they give these cookies. You can find these at Middle Eastern supermarkets and online. You can use all of one or the other if you prefer.
• Pistachios: You can use whole shelled pistachios like I did, or pistachio slivers, and press them in the center of each ghraybeh dough ball before baking. You can of course, eliminate these entirely, and make the cookies nut free.

How to make easy ghraybeh:

• In a stand mixer on medium speed, cream the ghee or butter for a couple of minutes until light in color.
• Add the sugar, rose water and orange blossom water and cream for another 2-3 minutes.
• Add the flour, reduce speed to low, and mix until just combined.
• Cover the dough in plastic wrap, and rest the dough in the fridge for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325F (160C).
• Shape little circles of dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Mine were about 20 grams each. Press a whole pistachio into the center of each dough ball.
• Bake for 15 minutes until set in the middle rack of the oven, they won’t darken in color but the bottom will be a very light golden brown.

How to serve Lebanese shortbread cookies:

I love serving these on occasions (like Ramadan or Eid) alongside a cup of good mint tea or karak tea. They are also delicious served with coffee!

Storing leftovers:

Leftovers will last two weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.

You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to two months in an airtight container, they’ll thaw quickly at room temperature. You can also freeze unbaked cookie balls for the same amount of time, and bake directly from frozen- this would be my preferred freezing method. Just add 2-3 minutes to cooking time.

Recipe tips and tricks:

• Beat the ingredients in stages very well, it’s what will cause that melt in your mouth texture, set a timer to make sure you are beating for the amount of minutes directed in the recipe.
• If you have a kitchen scale, use it to weigh the ingredients. You’ll get more precise measurements.
• Don’t overbake- these are a very pale cookie as indicated in the photos. They just need to be set!
• Make small cookies, these are very rich so you want little bite sized pieces.

Recipe FAQs:

More delicious Middle Eastern desserts:

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