Shortbread Rings Ghraybeh Recipes

SHORTBREAD RINGS (GH'RAYBEH)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Beat together flour, sugar, butter, shortening, cardamom, rose water, and orange-flower water in a bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until a smooth dough forms.
• Roll dough into walnut-size balls, then roll each ball into a 5-inch rope. Form each rope into a 2-inch circle, overlapping ends slightly. Press a nut into each cookie at overlap.
• Arrange cookies, 1 inch apart, on 2 ungreased baking sheets and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until dry to the touch but still white, 20 to 22 minutes total. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Line a baking sheet with greaseproof (parchment) paper. Sift the flour and rice flour into a medium mixing bowl. Add the sugar and mix.
• Cut butter into pieces and rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture begins to bind together. Knead into soft dough.
• Roll the dough into an 8 inch round (or for exact round, mold it in an 8 inch cake pan). Place on baking sheet. Using a fork, prick top and make tine marks along edge. Using a table knife, score top with wedge marks. (This is where it will break when cooled)
• Bake 45 minutes or until pale golden in color. Sprinkle a little superfine sugar over top and cool on baking sheet. Cut into wedges. Keeps for weeks in airtight tin.

GHORAYBEH (LEBANESE SHORTBREAD COOKIES)

Steps:

• Mix butter, sugar, flour and baking powder and arak together.
• Work into a dough.
• Take a generous tablespoon of the dough and make it into a ball.
• Press down into a circle.
• Place on cookie sheet, and press your finger into the center of the dough to form a ring shape.
• Continue with the rest of the dough.
• (Traditionally, the dough is formed into short snakes, and formed into circles, and a shelled pistachio is placed at the join).
• Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes (do not brown the cookies--they're supposed to be white).
• Stores at room temperature for up to a week.