Ghriba Kawkaw

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •rimmed baking tray
• •food processor or hand grinder
• •parchment paper
• •shallow bowl for icing sugar

Instructions

1. 1

   Roast the peanuts

   Heat the oven to 170°C. Spread the peanuts on a tray and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, shaking once, until they smell nutty and turn lightly golden. Cool them fully before grinding, because warm peanuts release oil too fast and turn heavy.

2. 2

   Grind with care

   Rub away any loose skins, then pulse the cooled peanuts with the granulated sugar until fine and sandy. Stop before it becomes a paste. The dough needs ground nut, not peanut butter, and this is where the chew is decided.

   If your processor runs hot, pulse in short bursts and pause. Warm blades pull oil from the peanuts.
3. 3

   Make the dough

   Tip the peanut mixture into a bowl. Add the eggs, oil, orange blossom water, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest if using. Mix with your hand or a sturdy spoon until the dough is sticky, soft, and holds together when pressed.

4. 4

   Rest and roll

   Let the dough rest for 10 minutes so the peanuts drink in the egg. Put the icing sugar in a shallow bowl. With lightly oiled hands, roll walnut-sized balls, then coat each one heavily in icing sugar. Be generous. The sugar helps the surface crack and keeps the cookie tender.

5. 5

   Bake until cracked

   Set the balls on a lined tray with space between them and bake at 170°C for 10 to 12 minutes, just until they spread, crack, and look set at the edges. The centers should still feel soft. Leave them on the hot tray for 10 minutes before moving them, or they'll break.

6. 6

   Cool and serve

   Move the cookies to a rack and cool completely. Serve with mint tea, coffee, or milk. They keep their chew better after a few hours, which is why they belong so naturally on celebration trays made ahead.

Chef Tips

• •Roast the peanuts yourself if you can. The smell tells the truth, and la balance est dans les yeux, the scale is in the eyes.
• •Do not grind the peanuts into paste. Once the oil comes out, the ghriba bakes dense instead of tender.
• •The dough should be sticky. Oil your hands lightly instead of adding flour, because flour dulls the peanut flavor and makes the crumb dry.
• •Pull the cookies while the centers still look soft. Ghriba finishes on the tray, like many Moroccan sweets, and patience gives you the chew.
• •Some families add a little cinnamon or vanilla, some leave the peanut bare. Do not call a new perfume the original. Say what your house does and keep the lineage honest.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake the ghriba 1 day ahead for a celebration tray. Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 5 days.
• •Roasted peanuts can be cooled and ground the day before. Keep them covered so they do not pick up kitchen smells.
• •The shaped dough balls can rest in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours, then be rolled again in icing sugar just before baking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 25g)