Shortbread Rings Ghraybeh Food

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.

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.