Yeasted Cookies - Pistachio and Sesame Semolina

You'll dive for these cookies! If you've eaten a barazek, you know I'm not wrong about it. Sweets from the Mediterranean region  are amazingly crazy delicious. The well-known baklava is second to a barazek, patiently hand-crafted from a blend of semolina, flour, pistachio and sesame seeds flavoured with orange blossom water.  Interestingly, the combination of yeast with baking powder in pastry making is found in this cookie. By the way, this cookie isn't for new-hands baker. The coating of the pitachio and sticky sesame seeds of this cookie isn't a play play thing of baking chocolate chips cookies. My both hands were in a big mess of sticky sesame seeds and had to use my two elbows to lift up baking sheet from one location to another. 

I decided to change the recipe to make my life easier after shaping 20 pieces of barazek in my first batch, and so this one in picture isn't a barazek but taste as good as one , or if not better with a teaspoon of rum and some of my favourite spices added to the dough...totally violating the original.

Recipe:
Ingredients

80g very soft ghee or butter

20g extra virgin olive oil
100g white sugar

1 medium size egg

¼ tsp vanilla                                                  

¼ tsp orange blossom water

2 drops rose flavor

1 tsp rum

150g fine plain flour
150g semolina flour

¼ tsp cardamom powder

1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp instant yeast

½ tsp salt

50g crushed raw pistachios

100g untoasted white sesame seeds

30g honey

Method

·      Cream Ghee, oil  and sugar till well blend.

·      Add in egg and continue blending with wooden spoon till smooth.

·      Flavour it with orange blossom water, vanilla and rose flavor / essence

·      Add in semolina, flour , cardamom powder, nutmeg, baking powder, yeast and salt.

·      Add in crushed pitachio last.

·      Use hands to mix till a very soft dough is formed.  The dough will get less soft after an hour rest.

·      Place sesame seeds and honey in bowl  and warm it in microwave oven for 30 seconds for easier mixing

·      Use melon baller to scoop dough into small balls.

·      Place some sticky sesame seeds at center of palm.

·      Take a small dough and press hard on the sesame seeds, then slide the flatten dough inwards and lift it up . Place it on baking sheet. Press the cookie again .

·      Bake in preheated oven at 160 degrees in five minutes, 130 degrees till light golden. Turn off oven and dry them till deeper golden . This will also make cookies crunchier.

·      Store in airtight container after cool.

cookies

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Hup Toh Soh Chinese Traditional Walnuts Cookies

Evokes Nostalgia

numerous accolades

Ingredients:

70g peanut oil

40g fine sugar

¼ tsp seasalt

150g flour

30g  chopped walnuts (lightly toasted)

½ tsp baking powder

¼ + 1/8   tsp baking soda

egg wash:  1 egg plus ½ tsp water

Method:

·      Mix peanut oil and sugar thoroughly.

·      Add in salt and vanilla.

·      Sieve in flour and baking powder and baking soda.

·      Add in the finely chopped walnuts.

·      Mix all gradually to form dough.

·      Cover and rest 15 mins.

·      Roll into ball and press a dent in centre with finger.

·      Egg wash them .

·      Bake them 10 mins 180 degrees hot oven, then 5 mins at 150 degrees.

·      Leave them in oven (off mode) 10 mins with door open for crunchier top.

·      Store when cool.

Workshop available @ Palate Sensations Singapore 

- tel 65 64789746

food quote:  藕断丝连(ǒuduànsīlián), means can break a lotus root in half, the fibers and skin remain connected. Someone who has broken up with a lover but remains connected.

 Cook as to how you like to eat it, join me if we share the same taste.  PaulaCookingFingers

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Crunchy Almond Gems

Recipe:

1 egg 65g size
1/8 tsp vanilla

150g cake flour
70g sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

50g melted butter or peanut oil

Roasted honey almonds
piping bag

• Place cake flour , sugar, baking powder and salt in mixing bowl.
• Mix vanilla with egg and beat till light.
• Pour egg over flour miture.
• Pour oil over flour mixture.
• Mix well
• Fill piping bag with mixture.
• Pipe on to lined baking sheet.
• Place a unroasted almond on top.
• Bake at 180 degrees till light golden.
• Turn off oven and leave cookies in oven 10 mins.

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Fortune Cookies

你吃饱了吗? 不想吃饱   要但漂亮新娘

Blessings in a crack

food quote:   吃着碗里的,看着锅里的 describe someone who is always checking out their options

Cook as to how you like to eat it, join me if we share the same taste.  PaulaCookingFingers

cookies

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Kueh Bangkit

What're u bingeing? 又在吃什么?
吃不饱的. 不想吃饱.

Unblemished minds

chinese legendary icons

the kingdom of the oceans

symbolic food

makeover

food quote:   鶏鳴狗盜： cunning or petty ruses
Cook as to how you like to eat it, join me if we share the same taste.  PaulaCookingFingers

kueh

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Croquants

What're u eating? 在吃什么?

吃不饱的. 没钱吃饱

a cookie to get me over the hunger

   

Nutty Crunchy Non-Buttery

chocolatiers

potent tooth decayers

Whisk one large egg white with 1/8 tsp any fruit extract till foamy

Mix 3/4 cup roasted chopped nuts with 50g sugar and a pinch cinnamon and salt

Pour egg white into nuts mixture and give a stir

Lastly blend in 30g flour

A grainy mixture

Use spoon to scoop into balls

Bake at 180 degrees 7 mins and 150 degrees till nice golden

Leave the cookies in oven with door open for half hour

an invitation to Buckingham

food quote: A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand. ~Author unknown                                    

Cook as to how you like to eat it, join me if we share the same taste.  PaulaCookingFingers

gluten free

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