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I have yet to meet anyone who can resist the unbelievable chewiness of these Moroccan almond macaroons, a type of ghrouiba or ghrieba. And I have yet to attend a wedding or a happy event in Morocco where they are not served.
In Morocco, this sweet treat has many names: mlewza, ghriebat el a’kda, ghrieba d’ellouz or bellouz. You would be forgiven for comparing it to the Italian cookie Ricciarelli as to some extent you would not be far off.
I’ve been using this family recipe for a solid 25 years after copying it from one of my aunties decades ago. The recipe itself is dead simple but the size of the eggs, the type of the oven and the quality of almonds all play a role in the outcome.
I always keep batches of Moroccan almond paste ready in my freezer. I never know when I will need a ghrieba for my teatime.
In Morocco, we are blessed with a good variety of local almonds that deliver in flavor and also in texture. Making an almond paste with Moroccan almonds tends to be moist while other almonds just yield a dry paste, hence the use of apricot jam to save the day and bring a bit of that missing texture.
I also use standard medium-sized eggs and as my auntie used to say, use the second egg wisely—start with an egg yolk, and if you think you need more, add the egg white.
Old ovens are still used in Morocco and convection ovens can be found in a few urban houses. We used to start off by test baking a few ghrieba. Initially the cookies went into the oven with the rack positioned for the grill or broiler and with the door slightly ajar. Once cracks appeared over the ghrieba’s surface, we would move the baking rack down and use the bottom third of the oven for the remainder of the time. If we were satisfied with the cracking and how it spread, we shaped the other ghriebas and baked them. Otherwise we adjusted the mix. Now that we have a convection oven, I just place the baking sheet right in the middle throughout the baking time and I know that my recipe delivers with the measurements listed.
