Ghouribi (Moroccan Sugar Cookies)

Source: Lior's Kitchen Talk

1 cup vegetable oil or butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup finely ground walnuts or almonds
Cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly flour an ungreased cookie sheet.

Place oil and sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Gradually add the flour, a cup at a time, and knead well. Blend in the nuts. When the dough feels smooth, use the palm of your hand to roll it into balls the size of an egg. Pat into a round cookie about 2 inches in diameter. The cookies should not be flat. Place on the cookie sheet and sprinkle the center of each cookie with cinnamon. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not let the cookies become even slightly brown; they must remain off-white.

* A Turkish variation uses cocoa instead of cinnamon and is sprinkled with powdered sugar. These cookies can also be shaped into crescents.