Maureen Abood’s Lavender and Orange Blossom Cookies
Updated July 8, 2020
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ¾cup/180 grams clarified butter, at room temperature (see note)
- 1¾cups/215 grams confectioners’ sugar
- 2teaspoons/1 gram dried lavender, ground to a powder
- ½teaspoon/3 grams kosher salt
- 1teaspoon/ 5 milliliters orange blossom water
- 1¾cups/228 grams all-purpose flour, more as needed
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
135 calories; 8 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 49 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 325 degrees with a rack in the center of the oven. Line two sheet pans (not dark metal) with parchment paper.
- Step 2
In an electric mixer, beat the butter on high for about 6 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add ¾ cup (92 grams) confectioners’ sugar, lavender and salt and beat another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and with the mixer on low speed, add orange blossom water and mix to combine.
- Step 3
Add flour to butter ½ cup (about 65 grams) at a time, until dough is crumbly and slightly dry but still able to hold together when squeezed, adding additional flour if necessary.
- Step 4
Divide dough into quarters and press each into a long narrow log about 1 inch high and 1 inch wide. With a sharp knife, cut into log diagonally to make diamond-shaped cookies 1 to 2 inches long. Use a spatula to transfer cookies to sheet pans, spaced about 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Cookies should be golden brown at the edges.
- Step 5
Sift remaining confectioners’ sugar over baked cookies while still warm. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- To clarify butter, melt 2 sticks (1 cup) over low heat. Pour the butter into a metal bowl and chill for at least 3 to 4 hours, until solid (or up to a week). Pop butter out of the bowl (you may have to warm the bottom of the bowl slightly with your palms so the butter unsticks itself). Rinse butter under cold water, removing the white layer on the top and bottom. Pat butter dry with paper towels.
Private Notes
Comments
I love Graybeh and having been born in the Middle-East they're a part of my family's heritage. However, "THEY SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO GET BROWN." Their benchmark is a soft, snow white cookie.
In her recipe, Maureen Abood suggests other flavorings that can be used instead of the lavender and orange blossom water:
a few drops of rosewater;
1/2 tsp anise extract or ground anise seed;
or a rose water / orange blossom water combo.
It is also an option to press one blanched almond or one pine nut onto the top of each cookie before baking.
You can use ghee to avoid having to clarify your own butter. I use ghee from non pasteurized milk, it taste better and is the real thing. The best ghee is made from milk from early spring when the cows come out and start munching on new grasses like alfalfa and clover. I like to think of these grasses as the real fast food, just because it takes light to travel from the Sun to Earth only eight minutes. Take that Micky D!
Is orange extract a suitable substitute for the orange blossom water?
Different kind of flavor, I think Earl Grey/bergamot might be a closer match to orange blossom water.
These are delicious. But they didn’t turn out like the graybeh I grew up with, which had a softer, more melt-in-your-mouth texture. These were hard. Delicious, but hard. Will try with less flour next time. I used a mortar and pestle to grind the lavender but used only what came through a fine sieve, so much less than the two teaspoons (probably about half). It was the perfect amount.
Made with ghee to skip a step and mixed by hand as my small kitchen keeps appliances to a minimum. Good flavor, but a bit too sweet as others have said, and at 1 cup of flour, the dough had trouble staying together and wouldn’t take any more. The advice to add slowly is to be heeded.