moroccan shortbread

This shortbread, with slight variations, is found throughout the Middle East. The Moroccan version is the most aromatic because of the added mastic. Even now, many years later, I can see in my mind’s eye a Berber woman sitting right on the pavement beside a caftan shop with a tray of gh’reyba in front of her, placidly waiting for passers-by to buy. They were not very prettily shaped, nor were they beautifully displayed. She just had them spread on a battered and not particularly clean metal tray. Still, there was something about her that was appealing. So I bought one and walked on. My instinct was right; her gh’reyba was excellent. I walked back, and found her still sitting quite immobile. She smiled as I bought another, and her smile grew bigger and bigger as I went back and forth several times in the next fifteen minutes, each time thinking it would be my last. We finally spoke and I asked her for the recipe, which she gave me. My adaptation does not produce quite the same crumbly texture I remember, but it’s not far off. And the flavor is just as irresistible as hers.

MAKES 30 TO 35 PIECES

1¹/₄ cups [250 g] organic cane sugar

4 or 5 small grains mastic (see page 55), crushed in a small mortar with a pestle to yield a heaping ¹/₄ tsp powdered mastic

2 egg yolks

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp [235 g] unsalted butter, at room temperature

3¹/₃ cups [500 g] unbleached all-purpose flour

¹/₃ cup [50 g] blanched whole almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C]. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Mix the sugar and mastic in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add the egg yolks and incorporate them into the sugar using a spatula. Add the butter and blend well. Gradually add the flour and knead the dough until smooth and firm. This should take about 5 minutes. (Add a little more flour if you think the dough is too soft.) Let rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a fat sausage about 8 in [20 cm] long. Cut each into 15 or 17 equal pieces and roll each into a ball the size of a walnut. Flatten in your hands, leaving the top rounded, to shape a cookie measuring about 2 in [5 cm] in diameter. Press an almond into the middle and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Bake until barely colored, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.