Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last week was challenging for many reasons but I am grateful for friends, family, and work colleagues that made me laugh through some of the absurdities. Also, special thanks to Wyatt, who made the most delicious papusas, which I gorged myself on almost every night.  Delightfully, I found a splendid way to engage in some Syrian fusion experimentation as well as self-medication by making tahini chocolate chip cookies using an adapted recipe from a paper that does not publish fake news despite what Cheeto-in-Chief may say. 

Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons butter

• ½ cup tahini, well stirred

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 egg yolk

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup flour

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 ¾ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

•  Flaky salt, like fleur de sel or Maldon

Or eat raw if you're really struggling.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream butter, tahini, and sugar at medium speed using an electric mixer.

2. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and continue mixing at medium speed for another 5 minutes.

3. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt into a large bowl and mix with a fork.

4. Add flour mixture to butter mixture at low speed until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.  Refrigerate dough for about 8 hours. Or not.

5. Shape into balls and bake for about 12 minutes on parchment paper lined cookie sheet in oven preheated to 325 degrees.

6. Eat while watching this.

Recipe: Barazek (Sesame Cookies)

"Cookies" may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Syrian food, but I promise once you try barazek you may consider Damascus as a potential baked good mecca. (Pun intended. Not really. Cause, you know, Mecca is in Saudi Arabia.)

Barazek with sesame seeds.

I made barazek late at night after braving Superbowl traffic (#EADOproblems) and consumed them with relish even later at night with some milky tea. I love their slightly sweet, nutty flavor. Some recipes call for sesame seeds, some call for pistachios, some both. I opted to segregate my mix-ins and split the batch.  Credit for the (slightly adapted) recipe below goes to Amira's Pantry:

Barazek

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter brought to room temperature

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon vinegar

• 1 1/2 cup white flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup sesame seeds

• 1 cup coarsely chopped unsalted pistachios

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Cream together sugar and butter.

3. Mix in egg, vanilla extract, and vinegar.

4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

5. Add flour-baking powder mixture to wet ingredient. Let rest in fridge for 30 minutes.

6. Shape dough into small discs. Coat with sesame seeds or pistachios or both by pressing them in a bowl filled with the aforementioned ingredient(s).

7. Bake for about 20 minutes until bottom is golden brown.