Ghorayebah, also sometimes known as the “Queen’s Bracelets”, are fragile shortbread-like cardamom cookies. They derive their rather quaint name from their shape – each cookie is shaped from strand of dough, where the two ends are joined together and a blanched almond is pressed in at this joint. Thus the finished cookie looks like a bracelet with an almond “gem”. These cookies are sometimes served during Purim and thought to represent Queen Esther’s bracelets.
Ghorayebah is made through out the Middle East and there are many variations to the recipe. Some recipes use orange flower water or rose water, while some use pistachios instead of almonds. Some recipes call for use of almond extract and even suggest that the use of cardamom is optional.
While I have no idea which of these is the authentic recipe, I made some of these delicious cookies using the following recipe and as I had run out of almonds, I used chironji/ charoli (small nuts also known as cudpah nuts/ cudpah almonds). These nuts taste somewhat like almonds. I also shaped them into flat rounds rather than “bracelets”
Arabic Cardamom Shortbread Cookies - Ghorayebah
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)
- xbd cup sugar powdered (I used granulated here, but powdered works better)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsps cardamom powdered
- 25 gm almonds blanched , halved
Instructions
- In a pan, heat the ghee. Add the sugar and keep mixing till the sugar dissolves. Take this off the heat. When it has cooled, add the cardamom powder, salt, baking soda and flour and knead everything gently to a soft non-sticky dough. If the dough is sticky add a little flour. The dough may seem a bit crumbly but this is alright as long as the dough holds its shape when held.
- Shape the dough into walnut sized (about an inch in diameter) balls. To do this take the dough and clench it in your palm as if squeezing the dough, couple of times. This will make the dough clump together and take the shape of a ball, roughly. Now lightly roll the dough into round balls. Flatten gently and press down an almond half in the centre of each cookie. As I mentioned earlier, I used chirongi instead of almonds. Place on a greased sheet, leaving a little space between cookies. These cookies don't spread but puff up a bit.
- Bake at 180C (350F) for about 20 minutes. When done the cookies would have lost their whitish colour and just start becoming faintly golden. It is very important that the cookies do not brown or they would burn on the inside and become hard.
- Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container. This recipe makes about 15 cookies which are 2" in diameter.
- These cookies would be a bit flaky and fragile with a rich buttery, shortbread texture and taste, a lot like the u201cNankhataiu201d we make in India.
I'm Aparna and My Diverse Kitchen is my ovo-lacto vegetarian food blog where you'll find recipes, food stories & photography. I've been blogging since 2007 and believe the kitchen, and the dining table (by extension) is really the heart of a home. 
the cookies look yummy and delish Aparna!Siri
Autnhentic or not it looks delicious
very yummy and nicely clicked 🙂
nice one..
nice cookies aparna,
Delicious cookies..nice recipe!!
Arabic cookies!…. Different try. Love it. Looks so cute.
Aparna,arabic cookies look fabulous. Great recipe for me, since I am not egg-friendly.
Posted this link in http://www.surfurls.com
Those are one plump cookies, great entry A!:)
they look awesome Aparna:)
i can almost taste these already. They sound so delicious.
I love the texture of this cookies from the picture. Your house must be filled with the nice aroma from cardamom. NIce recipe!
Oh what delicious cookies Aparna!Rosie x
Those cookies look fabulous and must taste great! Lovely!Cheers,Rosa
Aparna, they look yum! Seem quite simple too!
These look YUM Aparna…love the flavours & the fact that the recipe uses regular ingredients. Very nice indeed…great entry!
wOw! Yummy cookies. Lovely pics too. Thanks for sharing
I can imagine the aroma while you were baking these cookies. When you have time could you leave the link to this cookie in the submit form I have.
yum yum cookies… great snacks for kids… for this summer…this is first time i am visiting ur blog…do visit mine when u find time.. and leave ur comments and suggestions…http://envittuvirundhusamayal….
Thanks for this! I wanted cardamom shortbread, and this recipe fit the bill! I doubled the recipe, replaced some of the AP flour with almond flour, and added some orange blossom water. They taste wonderful!
Really happy that you liked them, Elaine. 🙂