The Iraqi Family Cookbook

The Iraqi Family Cookbook
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Friday, November 13, 2015

Molasses cookies كعكة الطحينة والدبس


These are one of my favorite healthful cookies the I always keep in my kitchen. I got the inspiration from mixing the tahini with date molasses in a small plate, I stir it and spread it on a piece of bread. This is the typical snack food in Iraq during Lent or Winter. It very much resembles the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If you do not have tahini which is sesame paste, you can use peanut butter, but tahini has a mild flavor. You can find the date molasses in the Middle Eastern grocery stores. 




1/2 cup date molasses
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 ounces butter, melted
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cardamom, or cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons sesame seeds 
Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine the molasses, tahini, butter, sugar and egg and stir with a wooden spoon. Add flour, salt, baking soda and sesame seeds and stir. The mixture will be soft.
Takes a small piece of dough the size of walnut and roll it in your hands. Arrange the cookies on a baking pan lined with silicone liner or parchment paper. 
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool for 30 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.
Store them in a Tupperware contaminate lined with parchment paper.
Enjoy these cookies with tea or coffee.