Cream the ghee and sugar. Beat the softened ghee, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and orange blossom water in a large bowl until pale, smooth and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should look almost white — this step is what makes the cookies melt in your mouth.

Add the flour. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed, or stir with a wooden spoon, just until a soft dough comes together. Stop as soon as no dry flour remains — overmixing makes the cookies hard instead of crumbly.

Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 30 minutes. Chilled dough holds its shape in the oven and bakes up tender instead of spreading flat.

Heat the oven and line the sheet. Heat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Shape the cookies. Roll the dough into 24 balls, about 25 g each, and set them 5 cm (2 inches) apart on the lined sheet. Flatten each ball very slightly with your palm and press a pistachio half gently into the center of each one.

Bake low and slow. Bake at 160°C (325°F) for 12–15 minutes, until the cookies are just set and still pale — the bottoms should be only the faintest gold. Ghorayeba should never brown: color means overbaked.

Cool on the sheet. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes — they are soft when hot and firm up as they cool. Then move them carefully to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Serve and store. Serve at room temperature with Arabic coffee or mint tea. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.