How to Make Ghraybeh (Middle Eastern Shortbread)

Ingredients

• 1 cup samneh (clarified butter/ghee)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• A pinch of vanilla
• The easy meshbak recipe was shared by a friend and cook on the Shou Tabkhin Today site:
• اليسار رجب
• Click the name to visit her page
• For more of Alisaar’s sweets see Macaron Dessert

Method

1. Mix the flour, vanilla and powdered sugar, then add the samneh and rub it in with your fingertips without kneading.
2. You should get a semi-cohesive dough. If the weather is hot, chill it briefly in the fridge to firm up; if it’s cold, proceed immediately.
3. Shape the dough into small balls slightly larger than hazelnuts.
4. Roll each ball into a short rope, bring the ends together and press them to seal.
5. Place the ghraybeh on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) on the middle rack for 10–12 minutes — no more.
   Timers: 12 min
6. As soon as the cookies are dry and only very slightly colored on the bottom, remove them from the oven.
7. Allow the ghraybeh to cool to room temperature before serving.
8. Note: Do not use butter for ghraybeh or the cookies will become hard.
9. Do not brown the ghraybeh — we want to keep them white.