Dibs & Tahinia Shortbread Recipe
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Easy
This is a distinctive biscuit with a nutty, slightly fruity taste that is reminiscent of childhood for Palestinians raised with dibs o tahinia. Traditionally, dibs (grape molasses) is mixed with tahinia in equal parts to make the creamy sweet dip for bread, usually for breakfast. This was a favourite of Baba Fuad, always on his breakfast table.
The dough here is a crumbly one, so be sure to use it chilled. This recipe makes about 30 biscuits, which will last for several days, but I promise they will quickly disappear.
This recipe is extracted from Bethlehem by Fadi Kattan (Hardie Grant, £28), Photography by Ashley Lima.
Try Fadi's recipe for Ka'ek Al-quds & Eggs or Houmous Mutabal Bil Tahinia.
Ingredients for Dibs & Tahinia Shortbread
- 150g salted butter, at room temperature, chopped
- 100g demerara sugar (or substitute another raw sugar)
- 100g dibs
- 175g plus 1 ½ teaspoons tahinia
- 300g all purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
How to make Dibs & Tahinia Shortbread
- In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar, dibs, and tahinia. Mix with a handheld beater for 5 minutes, until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. With the beater on low speed, add the flour mixture gradually into the tahinia mixture until smooth.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, until smooth. Divide the dough into two portions, place each in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC / 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is ½ to 1 cm / ¼ to ⅜ inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out biscuits, and place them on the prepared sheet, leaving about 2 ½ cm / 1 inch between the biscuits. Repeat with the second portion of dough.
- Bake, one sheet at a time, for 12 to 15 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and firm to the touch. Allow to cool on the sheets. Store in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.
