This easy to make vegan Ghraybeh is a popular Eid dessert to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea. Arabic Shortbread Cookies that melt in the mouth, with a smooth floral hint in every bite. Topped with pistachios and rose petals for the ultimate treat.

About The Recipe

• Vegan | Dairy-Free

• Eid Dessert

• Made with only 5 Ingredients

• Done in the food processor

What Is Ghraybeh?

Ghraybeh (Gh-ray-beh) is a famous Arabic Shortbread Cookies that’s made with only 3 ingredients (plus 2 more for flavouring). It’s a popular dessert that’s often served during Eid visitations when celebrating with family and friends. It’s got a crispy bite on the outside that melts in the mouth.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• All purpose flour: Make sure to properly scoop and measure the flour on a scale for best results.

• Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioner’s sugar.

• Vegan Butter: Dairy-free room temperature butter is needed to make these soft and buttery cookies.

• Rosewater: Essential for the hint of floral scent in every bite. Or use orange blossom water instead.

• Pistachios: Used to top off each cookie.

How To Make Ghraybeh

Combine the room temperature butter with powdered sugar in a food processor with dough blade attachments (or a stand mixer). Blend with a hint of rosewater. Gradually sift in the flour in batches to knead. The dough should look crumbly yet sticky enough to hold together. Empty into a bowl to fold and knead by hand until smooth – don’t over do it. Cover with food wrap, then chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

How To Shape Ghraybeh

Ghraybeh can be shaped in two popular ways. The classic round cookies, with a pistachio on top. Simply take out a tablespoon’s worth of the dough and squeeze by hand to roll into a ball. Push down the top with a pistachio. Or make the fun ‘S’ shaped cookies instead. Roll into a thick line (after squeezing in hand), then fold/pinch inwards on opposite ends to make the ’S’.

Video Recipe

Watch this short video recipe for how to make vegan Ghraybeh here:

Related Recipes

Check out more vegan Arabic dessert recipes to enjoy over Eid. From the popular Knafeh, to the famous Maamoul, Awameh, Atayef, and more!

Vegan Ghraybeh Recipe

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Ghraybeh (Arabic Shortbread Cookies)

Recipe by Waseem HijaziCourse: Dessert, Sweets, CookiesCuisine: Arabic, Middle Eastern, EidDifficulty: Easy

Servings

20

cookies

Prep time

30

minutes

Baking time

15

minutes

Total time

45

minutes

This easy to make vegan Ghraybeh is a popular Eid dessert to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea. Arabic Shortbread Cookies that melt in the mouth, with a smooth floral hint in every bite. Topped with pistachios and rose petals for the ultimate treat.

Ingredients

• 113g plant based butter, room temp

• 60g icing sugar, sifted

• 200g all purpose flour, sifted

• 1 tsp rosewater

• 1/2 cup pistachios

Directions

• Making The Dough:
• Combine butter with sugar in a food processor/mixing bowl. Pulse then process on low for 5 minutes. See Notes (2)
• Add in the flour in batches – 1/2 cup at a time. Continuously pulse to combine – about 20 seconds. Repeat for remaining flour.
• Once crumbly – yet sticky – empty into a bowl and knead by hand for a minute until smooth. Cover in food wrap to chill in the fridge for an hour.
• Shaping The Ghraybeh:
• Take out 1 tablespoon’s worth of the dough at a time – covering the bowl immediately. Squeeze then roll into a ball using your palms.
• Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Gently and slightly push down to flatten the top. See Notes (3)
• Add half a pistachio to the centre. Cover with a towel to continue working on the remaining dough.
• Baking or Air Frying: See Notes (4)
• To bake, preheat the oven to 325 F (or 160 C) before the previous step – Shaping The Ghraybeh. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes on middle rack.
• To air fry, set to 300 F (or 150 C). Air fry for 13 to 15 minutes.
• The cookies should be lightly golden/pale – not browned. Remove and cool in the sheet pan/” target=”_blank”>air fryer basket for 15 minutes.
  
  They’ll still be soft while hot, but they’ll firm up once cooled down completely on a separate plate – at least for another hour.

Notes

• (1) Make sure to measure the vegan butter, sugar, and flour using a kitchen scale for best results.
• (2)  Use a stand-mixer or bowl with a hand-mixer if a food processor is not available. Simply whip the vegan butter with the sugar long enough until it’s thick and creamy.
• (3)  There are two main ways to shape the Ghraybeh cookies. Besides the round balls, you can shape them like an ’S’. Simply roll into a thick line (after squeezing in hand), then fold/pinch inwards on opposite ends to make the ’S’.
• (4)  It’s important to bake/air-fry the Ghraybeh cookies at a low temperature to avoid from browning/burning. Adjust the settings based on the size of the cookies, and your own individual oven/air-fryer.
• (5) Make sure to watch the video recipe in this post for the step-by-step tutorial.

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