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Ghriebas or ghoribas with evaporated milk are soft-textured, cake-like Moroccan cookies flavored with lemon zest. They’re quite easy to make and perfect for an afternoon snack or tea time.
As the name suggests, evaporated milk is an essential ingredient in the dough. In Morocco, you’ll find it sold as lait concentré non-sucre under the brand name Purisima.
Get your kids involved by having them roll and shape the dough. I suggest making the cookies small or in petite form to keep them elegant enough for company.
For variety, you can dip all or some of the cookies in orange flower water
You might be tempted to serve them right away, but I find that the texture and flavor of Ghoriba au Lait Concentré improve overnight.
Moroccan Cookies with Evaporated Milk - Ghoriba au Lait Concentré (Purisima)
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup unsweetened evaporated milk - (Purisima)
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 to 2 tsp vanilla - (or 1 to 2 envelopes vanilla-flavored sugar)
- zest from 1 or 2 lemons
- 1 pinch of salt
- 4 cups flour - (approx.; use more or less as needed)
For Garnish
- powdered sugar
- orange flower water
- desiccated coconut
Instructions
Mix the Dough
- There's no need for an electric mixer as the dough is quite easy to mix by hand. In a large bowl, use a large spoon or whisk to beat the eggs and oil until frothy.
- Add the evaporated milk, powdered sugar, baking powder, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt. Stir or whisk until smooth, then mix in just enough flour (start with 3.5 cups and add more as needed) to make a very soft, manageable dough that can be shaped into balls.
Shape and Bake the Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350° F (180° C). Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Take small portions of dough and roll them into small balls the size of walnuts. Flatten each ball by gently pressing or patting it into a thick disc shape. (If you like, at this point you can dip the dough in orange flower water and then in coconut.) Place the shaped dough on the lined baking sheets, spaced about two inches (5 cm) apart.
- Bake the cookies, one pan at a time, for about 15 minutes, until lightly colored or pale golden. Remove from the oven and transfer the parchment paper with the cookies to a rack to cool.
Garnish and Store the Cookies
- Use a strainer or sifter to dust the cookies with powdered sugar. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the freezer for up to two months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate obtained from online calculators. Optional ingredients may not be included in the nutritional information.
About the Author
Christine Benlafquih is Founding Editor at Taste of Maroc and owner of Taste of Casablanca, a food tour and culinary activity business in Casablanca. A long time resident of Morocco, she's written extensively about Moroccan cuisine and culture. She was the Moroccan Food Expert for The Spruce Eats (formerly About.com) from 2008 to 2016.
Dale
Sunday 18th of May 2025
Simple to make and they were a hit- so good w a cup of tea! I found them a bit bland even though I'm not a huge salt fiend - I think maybe a half tsp rather than a pinch the next time I make them.
Sabrina
Thursday 15th of August 2024
Almost perfect but that is a !@#$ ton of baking soda. No matter how well sifted in or mixed into the dough, the bitter punchiness of the baking soda just screams through.
My dough came together perfectly fine (although I replaced the vegetable oil with butter 1:1). If not for the overbearing soda flavor, this would be a perfect little puffy cookie recipe. I haven't tried reducing the soda yet but I will since the texture and ease of the recipe is just too good to not try.
Christine Benlafquih
Thursday 15th of August 2024
Hi Sabrina. The recipe calls for baking powder, not baking soda. A teaspoon of baking powder per cup of flour isn't considered excessive. If you used baking soda accidentally, which it sounds like you did from your comment, your cookies would taste bitter.
Dug
Sunday 24th of December 2023
Not sure what the photo is of. Didn't rise, and not really cake-like, just a dense flour-y cookie. Lemon zest adds a pleasant unique flavor.
Maria
Thursday 20th of April 2023
I am confused says add oil in ingredients but doesn't state in recipe
Christine Benlafquih
Friday 21st of April 2023
Hi Maria. You'll see that the ingredient list includes vegetable oil, which is the oil referenced in the instructions. I hope the cookies turn out well for you.
Rose
Tuesday 3rd of January 2023
I need to ask if I dip my cookies in the orange water and then cover them with desiccated coconut do you still dust them with powdered sugar later on.
Christine Benlafquih
Tuesday 3rd of January 2023
Yes, I would dust the cookies with powdered sugar after baking. Desiccated coconut usually doesn't have any sugar in it.