Ghriba

Ingredients

Almond ghriba

• 400 gground almonds
• 200 gcaster sugar
• 2eggs
• the zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoonbaking powder
• 1 tablespoonorange blossom water
• a pinch of salt

Coconut ghriba

• 400 gdesiccated coconut
• 200 gcaster sugar
• 3eggs
• 50 gplain flour
• 1 teaspoonbaking powder
• 1 teaspoonvanilla

Ghriba bahla

• 400 gplain flour
• 150 gfine semolina
• 200 gcaster sugar
• 200 mloil
• or 200 g melted butter
• 1egg
• 1 teaspoonbaking powder
• 2 teaspoonssesame seeds, toasted
• 1 teaspoonground aniseed

To finish

• 200 gicing sugar, for rolling

Directions

1. Warm dough spreads first and never cracks. The sugar coating must be thick. Roll each ball generously in icing sugar. Do not shake off any of the excess. Mix the ground almonds with the sugar. Add the baking powder and salt. Add the grated lemon zest to it. Beat the eggs and add them in.
2. Add the orange blossom water in. Work it into a soft dough with your hands. Mix the coconut with the sugar and flour. Add the baking powder in as well. Beat the eggs and add them with the vanilla.
3. Work it into a soft sticky dough. Mix the flour and semolina together. Add the sugar, baking powder and aniseed. Add the toasted sesame seeds in. Pour in the oil or melted butter. Rub it through with your fingertips.
4. Add the egg and bring it together. It should hold together when squeezed. Add a spoonful of flour if it is loose. Add a spoonful of oil if it crumbles. Cover the dough and refrigerate it. Give it at least one full hour. Roll the dough into small balls. Aim for about the size of a walnut.
5. Roll them smooth between your palms. Keep the rest of the dough in the refrigerator. Work in batches so it stays cold. Put the icing sugar in a wide bowl. Drop each ball in and roll it round. Coat each one thickly all over. Do not shake the excess off them. Set them on a lined baking tray. Press each of the balls down gently. Flatten it to about two centimetres. Do not flatten them right out thin.
6. Heat the oven to 170C before baking. Bake them for about fifteen minutes. Judging them takes a careful look. Take them out while they look underdone. Let them cool on the tray for ten minutes. They are very fragile while hot.
7. Let them cool down completely. Serving them is done in a pile. Pile them onto a plate or a tiered stand. Serve several of the kinds together. They keep two weeks kept in a tin. Keep the different kinds in separate tins.

Technique

• The cracked top defines a ghriba: the dough is rolled thickly in icing sugar, the surface sets first in the oven, and the expanding inside splits that crust so white sugar stays in the ridges and darker dough shows through.
• The dough must be genuinely cold going into the oven, since cold dough sets a crust before it spreads while warm dough spreads first and never cracks.
• Bahla means silly or foolish in Moroccan Arabic and is said to describe the cookie’s irregular cracked look, an explanation that is traditional rather than documented.

Substitutions

• Any of the three doughs uses the same shaping, coating and baking method.
• Melted butter can replace the oil in ghriba bahla.

Variations

• Ghriba bahla is the short crumbly semolina version.
• Coconut ghriba is chewy and very sweet.
• Almond ghriba contains no flour at all.

History

One of the standard sweets of Moroccan wedding and Eid tables, made in several regional versions including ghriba bahla and coconut.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ghriba?

Ghriba is a dessert from Morocco: crackle-topped cookie of almond, coconut or semolina, piled up for feast days. One of the standard sweets of Moroccan wedding and Eid tables, made in several regional versions including ghriba bahla and coconut.

How long does Ghriba take to make?

Ghriba takes 30 minutes plus resting of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 30 cookies. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Ghriba?

Yes, within limits. Any of the three doughs uses the same shaping, coating and baking method. Melted butter can replace the oil in ghriba bahla.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ghriba?

Warm dough spreads first and never cracks. The sugar coating must be thick. Roll each ball generously in icing sugar. Do not shake off any of the excess. Mix the ground almonds with the sugar. Add the baking powder and salt. Add the grated lemon zest to it. Beat the eggs and add them in.