Egyptian Spice Cookies
By Afton CyrusPublished on February 17, 2023
Time
1 hour, plus cooling time
Yield
Makes 24 cookies
What Kids Are Saying
"They are the best non-chocolate chip cookies I have had in my whole life. I really like the powdered sugar in them." —James, recipe tester, age 7
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Ghee is a type of clarified butter that’s common in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking. Look for it in the international section of many grocery stores or with other cooking oils. If you can't find ghee, you can use 10 tablespoons unsalted butter instead.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In large bowl, whisk together flour, confectioners’ sugar, sesame seeds, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
- Add melted ghee, milk, and vanilla to flour mixture. Use rubber spatula to stir until no dry flour is visible and soft dough forms.
- Use your hands to roll dough into 24 balls (about 1 level tablespoon each). Place dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between dough balls.
- Use your hand to gently flatten each ball. Use side of fork to firmly press diamond crosshatch pattern in each cookie (see photo, “Step-by-Step: How to Create Cookie Pattern”).
- Place baking sheet in oven and bake cookies until light golden brown, 20 to 24 minutes. Use oven mitts to remove baking sheet from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let cookies cool completely on baking sheet, about 30 minutes.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar to fine-mesh strainer. Hold strainer over cookies and tap to dust lightly with sugar. Serve.
Time
1 hour, plus cooling timeYield
Makes 24 cookiesWhat Kids Are Saying
"They are the best non-chocolate chip cookies I have had in my whole life. I really like the powdered sugar in them." —James, recipe tester, age 7Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
These cinnamon-spiced sesame cookies called kahk are often enjoyed during Eid al-Fatr, the Muslim holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan. In this recipe, we use ghee, a type of clarified butter that's common in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking (you can substitute unsalted butter if you’re unable to find it). Clarified butter contains no water and no milk solids—it’s pure fat. To make clarified butter, you slowly simmer butter until all the water has evaporated. To make ghee, you take it one step further, and continue heating the butter until all those milk solids turn golden brown, and smell nutty. Kids can smell and take a tiny taste of ghee, and compare it to unsalted butter you may have in the refrigerator. Do they notice any differences?
Before You Begin
Ghee is a type of clarified butter that’s common in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking. Look for it in the international section of many grocery stores or with other cooking oils. If you can't find ghee, you can use 10 tablespoons unsalted butter instead.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In large bowl, whisk together flour, confectioners’ sugar, sesame seeds, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
- Add melted ghee, milk, and vanilla to flour mixture. Use rubber spatula to stir until no dry flour is visible and soft dough forms.
- Use your hands to roll dough into 24 balls (about 1 level tablespoon each). Place dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between dough balls.
- Use your hand to gently flatten each ball. Use side of fork to firmly press diamond crosshatch pattern in each cookie (see photo, “Step-by-Step: How to Create Cookie Pattern”).
- Place baking sheet in oven and bake cookies until light golden brown, 20 to 24 minutes. Use oven mitts to remove baking sheet from oven and place on cooling rack (ask an adult for help). Let cookies cool completely on baking sheet, about 30 minutes.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar to fine-mesh strainer. Hold strainer over cookies and tap to dust lightly with sugar. Serve.
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