Nowrooz is coming, so let’s start thinking about Shirinipazi (baking cookies)! After all, we also have the ritual of baking cookies for Nowrooz as you do for Christmas. It’s about 6 Days from now to Monday, March 20 at 10:25 pm in Germany. I have some cookie recipes on my Blog for you for the holidays. For today, I have the recipe for gluten-free Ghorabieh – Persian Almond macaron قرابیه, a traditional treat from the city of Tabriz in northwestern Iran. Ghorabieh is a popular souvenir from Tabriz and is one of the most expensive cookies baked in Persia.

GHORABIEH WITH BITTER ALMONDS

Ghorabieh is prepared from blanched almonds, bitter almonds, egg whites, vanilla, and powdered sugar and sprinkled with pistachio, almond slivers, and sugar. Most Iranians prepare them without bitter almonds since this ingredient is getting forgotten. Bitter almonds are usually available in natural food stores or drugstores and are a significant part of this recipe, giving the cookies a unique flavor. But be careful not to eat them raw as they contain prussic acid. Be sure to keep them out of reach of children. But don’t worry, they lose the toxicity when heated. If you do not find bitter almonds, use 150 g of blanched almonds and refine them with bitter almond oil or flavor. But this is just a compromise!

EASIEST MACARON RECIPE IN THE WORLD

Ghorabieh is a very popular cookie for Nowrooz, or Eyd-e Nowrooz or even just Eyd. They are also popular at weddings, engagements, and most celebrations in Iran. For me, Gorabieh is the most delicious macaron in the world! They taste very different from the meringue pastries you may know from France since they have no cream layer in the center. Unlike French macarons, they are easy and quick to prepare, sort of lazy macarons 😉 However, similar to Macarons Parisien, they have a thin crispy crust and a chewy, sticky texture on the inside. In taste, Ghorabieh is more similar to Italian amaretti.

GHORABIEH VARIATIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

The origin of all ghorabiehs is Persia and it can be dated back to the 7th century. They were eaten by Sassanid Shah in those days to celebrate the Zoroastrian New Year (Nouruz). From Persia, Ghorabieh spread throughout the Ottoman Empire beginning in the 15th century under the name Kurabiye. In the Near and Middle East, there are several similar recipes, but they vary a lot in ingredients. In Arabia, they are called “khushkananaj gharib”. In Armenia, they are called “khourabia” and are a favorite Christmas treat made of butter and flour.

The Greek version is called “kourabiedes” or “kourabiethes” and is also prepared with flour and butter. In Bulgaria, they are called “Kurabii” and are popularly served on Easter. In Morocco, they are called “Ghoriba” and are similar in consistency to coconut macaroons. The “Macarons de Nancy” from France is the closest to Persian macarons, the only difference is that they are not sprinkled with pistachios and almonds.

INGREDIENTS GHORABIEH

130 g blanched almonds*

20 g bitter almonds*

200 g caster sugar

2 – 3 egg whites

1/2 tsp baking powder

TOPPING

1 – 2 tbsp. pistachio slivers*

1 – 2 tbsp. almond slivers*

1 – 2 tbsp. sugar

PREPARATION GHORABIEH

Preheat oven to 180°.

Grind blanched and bitter almonds finely in a food processor*. Beat two egg whites in a mixer, add ground almonds with caster sugar and continue beating for 10 – 15 minutes. Should the mixture be too firm, add the third egg whites first should the dough is too soft, add 1 -2 tbsps of ground almonds. Add baking powder and mix well.

Fill the mixture into a piping bag and pipe as many even dots as possible on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Be sure to leave enough space between them, so they don’t stick together during baking, as they will come apart a bit more.

Sprinkle with almonds, pistachio slivers, and sugar.

Bake in the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes.

Let cool down well on a cooling rack. Ghorabieh tastes best when prepared fresh and will last up to 3 days. In an air-tight container, they even keep for up to 2 weeks. They become firmer in texture, but this does not affect the taste.

BEFARMAYID!

Susan

The items marked with * are affiliate links, referral links. If you buy through this link, I get a small commission. The price stays the same for you and you can easily support my efforts. A big thank you ♥

Save the recipe for later on Pinterest!

 

Have you cooked this or maybe another delicious recipe of mine? Feel free to leave me a comment below. If you tag your picture on Instagram with @labsalliebe  and use the hashtag #labsalliebe, I won’t miss a post and will be happy to leave you a comment as well. Can’t wait to see your creations.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

This website is created by me in my leisure under proper use of coffee 🙂 If you like my posts I would be happy if you donate me one or a few cups of coffee!

Donate an amount of your choice via Paypal.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Sign up for my newsletter and I’ll email you my latest recipes, travel reports and trends 1 at most 2x a week for free.