ghouribi (moroccan sugar cookies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly flour an ungreased cookie sheet.

Place oil and sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Gradually add the flour, a cup at a time, and knead well. Blend in the nuts.

When the dough feels mooth, use the palm of your hand to roll it into balls the size of an egg. Pat into a round cookie about 2- inches in diameter. The cookies should not be flat.

Place on the cookie sheet and sprinkle the center of each cookie with cinnamon. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not let the cookies become even slightly brown; they must remain off-white.

*A Turkish variation uses cocoa instead of cinnamon and is sprinkled with powdered sugar. These cookies can also be shaped into crescents.

NOTE: On Purim morning, Moroccan Jews decorate their tables with flowers and sweet delicacies such as ghouribi. Children especially enjoy making thes treats as they can roll the dough with their hands.

SOURCE: The Jewish Holiday Kitchen by Joan Nathan p.

Schocken Books NY ISBN 0-8052-0900-X Recipe by: The Jewish Holiday Kitchen by Joan Nathan p.229 1988 Posted to JEWISH-FOOD digest by Linda Shapiro on Feb 20, 1998