My favorite cookies growing up were Syrian butter cookies called “greybeh” in Arabic. My grandmother would serve them for dessert on a doily sprinkled with powdered sugar. The delicate cookies were shaped like bracelets and would usually have a pistachio pressed into the area where the two ends of the dough overlapped. They would melt in my mouth, with a hint of sweetness and the creamy taste of butter.

I was always convinced that they had almond paste in them because they tasted so much like marzipan (one of my other favorite childhood treats). When I finally got a hold of a recipe for greybeh, I realized that bits of almond would transform the simple little cookies into a heartier biscuit that would hold up when dipped into milk or tea.

Note: The original recipe for greybeh does not include rosewater, but I find that it adds a depth of flavor I really enjoy. If you don’t have any, feel free to leave it out. You can find a more authentic recipe in Aromas of Aleppo: The Legendary Cuisine of Syrian Jews by Poopa Dweck.

Recipe: Almond Butter Cookies

Makes 3-4 dozen cookies

• 2 sticks unsalted butter (1/2 pound)
• 3/4 cup superfine sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup almond paste leftover from almond milk
• 1 tbs rosewater (optional)

1. Clarify the butter. Or, if you’re feeling lazy, simply microwave the butter for 30 seconds at a time until liquid. Then skim the white bits of milk fat off the top with a spoon and discard into the trash. The butter will not be completely clarified, but you can get a lot of the milk fat out this way.
2. Pour the clarified, melted butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar. Stir to mix well and dissolve the small sugar granules. Refrigerate the bowl for 30 minutes
3. Whip the butter with an electric mixer for roughly 5 minutes or until the consistency resembles that of stiff whipped cream.
4. Preheat the over to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Fold in the first cup of flour with a broad utensil such as a wooden spoon or spatula. Fold in the second cup of flour. Next fold in a half cup of flour. Add the rose water if you have it. Mix well. Fold in the last half cup of flour.
6. Add the almond paste leftover from making almond milk.
7. Knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes. Form into a smooth ball.
8. Pull off a small chunk of dough about an inch in diameter. Roll into a baton shape and, if you like, bring the two ends together to form a “bracelet”. Place the baton or bracelet shaped dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Fill the sheet, leaving about an inch and a half between each cookie.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the bottoms are slightly browned. Allow to cool in the pans completely before removing or placing on a cookie rack. The cookies will be quite delicate.