Almond Ginger Cookies

📜 Origin & History

Almond Ginger Cookies (English: Almond Ginger Cookies; Arabic: غريبة باللوز والزنجبيل / Ghoriba bil-Loz wal-Zanjabil) are Moroccan butter cookies: Ghoriba are traditional Moroccan shortbread cookies made from almonds (Loz), sugar, butter and eggs — in this version with fresh or dried ginger (Zanjabil). Ghoriba (Arabic: 'Foreign') are the most popular Moroccan cookies: they come in dozens of varieties — Ghoriba Bahla (with sesame), Ghoriba Loz (with almond flour), Ghoriba Noix (with walnuts) and Ghoriba Naâma (with rice flour). Ghoriba Loz is the most elegant variety: almond flour, egg white, sugar and rose water create a cookie that is crispy outside and delicate-soft inside — similar to macarons, but more rustic and simpler to make. Ginger (Zanjabil) in cookies is a modern adaptation: it combines the fresh-spicy note of ginger with almond creaminess. Moroccan cookies are served at every family visit with Moroccan mint tea (Atay bil-Naana): cookies and tea are the expression of hospitality in Morocco. In Germany, almond flour and all other ingredients are available in supermarkets.