Skip to main content

Lebanese Sesame Cookies #BakingBloggers


This month, Sue of Palatable Pastime told the Baking Bloggers that for February: "Share your baked Middle Eastern food with us, sweet or savoy. It can be a main dish, dessert,  pastry, anything as long as part of it is baked." Here's the #BakingBloggers virtual Middle Eastern bakery...

Lebanese Sesame Cookies 

Given that I could go sweet or savory for this challenge, I was tempted to make a version of stuffed grape leaves. The Greeks call them dolmades; the Turks call them dolma; and the Lebanese call them warak enab. No real differences that I could see. And I've already made them stuffed with quinoa and beef, with the addition of pumpkin puree, and even with lentils and chestnuts. So, I wanted to go a different route. I made a Persian version of baklava, called baghlava, but the photos were not pretty. So, I'll try again soon. 

So, for today, I'm sharing an easy, biscuit-like cookie that isn't really sweet enough to satisfy a real sweet tooth. But I find them irresistable; I enjoyed dipping them into espresso.

Ingredients makes 3 dozen 1-1/2" biscuits

  • 2-1/4 C flour
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1/2 C butter, softened
  • 1/2 C organic granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 t pure vanilla extract
  • 1 T whole milk + more for finishing
  • 1/4 C raw sesame seeds or more if you want to completely coat the cookies
  • Also needed: baking sheets, parchment paper

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Whisk together the flour and baking soda and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with sugar until lightened and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and 1 T milk until well-combined.

Slowly add in the flour mixture and beat until it comes together into a stiff dough. Roll the dough into thick ropes and cut into 1" segments. Place them about and 1" apart on the prepared baking sheets and gently flatten the top of the rope.

Brush the cookies with milk and sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 16 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and cool the cookies completely. They will harden as they cool and be delightfully crisp. 

Comments

  1. You have been a cookie making monster lately. Wish I was sitting with you dipping them into coffee, and visiting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. They sound delicious and I love how easy they sound too!

    ReplyDelete
  3. These look like the perfect bites!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir