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Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

vegan, lemon, poppy, cookies

A stack of these will definitely cure the winter blues.

 

February. I don't know about you but by this time of year I'm ready for sunshine and rainbows again. Nothing cheers me up more than a bag of citrus. Oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, blood oranges and of course lemons are in abundance right now. I truly think they are intended for our long winter months just to brighten our day. What better way to use them than in cookie form?

I also think that by this time in winter, we've consumed a few extra pounds munching on snacks and drinking wine, that summer bod is a long, long way away. So why not snack on another cookie? Am I right? With 3 kids and a husband, cookies disappear pretty fast around here. My oldest daughter has an egg allergy and cookies are one of the toughest desserts for her to have. I am always looking for new ways to create eggless cookies for her to enjoy.

Lemon Poppy Cookies

vegan, lemon, poppy, cookies

You won't be able to keep these for long!

I bring you these Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies, and just by chance they also happen to be vegan so it's a win for everyone (except those of you who are gluten free, sorry). Bright lemon flavor, bits of poppy seeds and the glaze, ohhhhhhh the glaze is what makes these perfect! A soft and chewy cookie with the ever so slight crisp edges. I love a good chocolate chip cookie but really these are wayyyyyy more my style. Oh, and did I mention...one bowl and NO MIXER! Okay, I got you hooked now!!! If you are anywhere in the Pacific Northwest this weekend, I'm pretty sure these will be a necessity. 

As always, I love seeing your creations. Please be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook, I love to share your recreations in my stories. And don't forget to Pin for later!

xoxo,
Cosette

vegan, lemon, poppy, cookies

Soft, chewy and perfect!

 

 

Print Recipe
 Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
Makes 24 cookies
vegan, lemon, poppy, cookies
Course Dessert
Cuisine Dessert
Keyword cookies
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Servings
Ingredients
Cookie
Lemon Glaze
Course Dessert
Cuisine Dessert
Keyword cookies
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Servings
Ingredients
Cookie
Lemon Glaze
vegan, lemon, poppy, cookies
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds and sugar. Whisk to combine.
  2. Make a well in the center of your flour mixture and add your oil, water, lemon juice, vanilla and zest.
  3. Mix well and stir until a cohesive dough forms. If dough is still a bit crumbly, add a drop or two of water as needed.
  4. Place mixture in the fridge for an hour, or longer The refrigeration helps the cookies not to spread while baking.
  5. Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
  6. Once your dough has chilled and your oven is preheated, using a cookie scoop, scoop your dough and slightly flatten each cookie.
  7. Fill each cookie sheet with 12 cookies, leaving about 1.5" between each cookie as they will spread. Keep your second sheet in the fridge while you bake your first one.
  8. Bake for 10 minutes, remove and let cool before adding glaze. Add your 2nd sheet and repeat.
  9. Prepare glaze by mixing powdered sugar and lemon juice together until a thick glaze forms.
  10. Glaze cookies once completely cool. Store in an airtight container for a week. Enjoy!
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Tahini Breakfast Cookies

cookie, healthy, tahini, breakfast, lebanese
Delicious, healthy and A COOKIE!!!!

Cookies aren't just for December!

Oh yeah, I am totally bringing the "C" word in January! I know, I know, we're all on a health kick, eating veggies, lean protein and and nothing else. But word to the wise, breakfast cookies are GOOD and good for you.

I am the first to admit that I struggle with food, eating too much, too little or just not the right things. This year I turn 40, a huge milestone but also a little reality check for myself, a time to make sure I am fit and healthy for myself and my family.

Mornings are a flurry of lunches being made, gathering homework, sometimes even a morning piano practice before heading out the door. By the time I'm back from school drop off it's 9:00am and I've been up for about 3 hours with nothing more than coffee. This year I'm treating myself better, and I have cookies to prove it!

I set off to create a cookie filled with wholesome grains, nuts and fruit, something that would be tasty yet filling with little to no sugar. Of course, delicious enough for kids to gobble up. With a few unique ingredients these cookies have such depth of flavor and umph you're sure to go back for more.

cookie, healthy, tahini, breakfast, lebanese
The sesame seeds are definitely extra, but add a nice little touch.

Lebanese Flair

Wholesome doesn't have to be boring, I sought out some interesting flours to create a wholegrain cookie. Buckwheat flour intrigued and spelt flour is always a winner. I wasn't sure if they cookies would become dense with these heavy hitters but the results were the exact opposite, soft and moist. Tahini and olive oil provide the much needed delicious and healthy fats. While brown sugar and honey give them the sweetness they need. Keeping with that Lebanese flair, I added all spice, apricots and walnuts, all very common in Lebanese cuisine and pastries.

I hope you enjoy making these and boost your mornings with something healthy, delicious and satisfying. As always, I love seeing your creations, tag me on Instagram or Facebook!! Don't forget to Pin the recipe!

xoxo,
Cosette

cookie, healthy, tahini, breakfast, lebanese
Print Recipe
 Breakfast Cookies
Adapted from: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/218671/whole-grain-breakfast-cookies/
cookie, healthy, tahini, breakfast
Course Baked Good, Breakfast
Keyword breakfast, cookies, lebanese, snack
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Course Baked Good, Breakfast
Keyword breakfast, cookies, lebanese, snack
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
cookie, healthy, tahini, breakfast
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, grind your cup of walnuts until it forms a powder/flour. Remove and add into a bowl with your oats, flours, baking soda, salt and all spice.
  3. In the bowl of the food processor add in your wet ingredients: olive oil, tahini, honey, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla. Pulse a few times to combine.
  4. Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the bowl with your dry ingredients as well as your walnuts and apricot pieces.
  5. Mix together until a cohesive dough forms. The dough will be very thick.
  6. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out dough portions and place on parchment or silpat lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  7. Bake each tray for 8 minutes, after 8 minutes, press cookies down gently with a wooden spoon to flatten slightly and bake for another 2 minutes.
  8. Remove, let cool and then place on rack. Store in sealed container or fridge. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

**You could substitute flours if you choose, I have not done so yet but I would imagine traditional all-purpose would yield similar results. 

**Feel free to change out your add-ins if walnuts and apricots aren't your style.

**You could use almond flour or other nut flour in place of walnut flour (chose walnut due to an almond flour allergy in the family)

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Ma'amoul Cookies

Cookies of my Childhood

When I think of home and my childhood, the scent of rose and orange blossom water linger in my mind. Those are the most distinct flavors and smells of most Middle Eastern desserts. 

I can remember watching my mom in the kitchen before all holidays and special events making special treats, one in particular, ma'amoul. Ma'amoul cookies are little pockets of goodness filled with walnuts or dates, of course scented with the aromas of orange blossom and rose waters. Delicate pastry is wrapped and baked into a perfect cookie to enjoy with morning coffee or on a cookie platter.

Labor of Love

Ma'amoul are definitely a labor of love, each individual cookie shaped and pressed with care, baked to perfection. The wooden molds are truly what make this dessert elegant and special with unique patterns and designs. You'll find that this cookie doesn't contain any traditional flour, but instead a mixture of semolina and farina flours. This delicate balance of flours give the cookies a tender but yet crisp bite and something truly unique.

Pressing the dough into the molds

A few taps on your surface to release the cookie out of the mold. 
Walnut filled cookies receive a dusting of powdered sugar after coming out of the oven.

This past week, my own children watched me prepare the ma'amoul dough, prepare the filling and make each special cookie. It was a moment where I realized that the reason I do this, the reason I cook and bake is for them. Ma'amoul was part of my childhood, something that stuck in my mind as a fond memory, food does that to us. I want my own children to have those same memories, the smells and tastes of their childhood to look back on. 

Whatever the reason you decide to bake today, I hope it's a good one. Whether it's a rainy day, a time to bond with kids or just to make a special treat for yourself. 

As always, I love seeing your creations. Please leave a review or share your dish with me on social media which lets me know what is working for you! You can find me on Facebook,  Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. For more delicious recipes to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!

xoxo,
Cosette

Print Recipe
 Ma'amoul Cookies
Delicious cookies filled with a walnut or date filling.
maamoul, cookies, lebanese
Course Dessert
Cuisine Lebanese
Keyword cookies, lebanese
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Pastry Dough
Date Filling
Walnut Filling
Course Dessert
Cuisine Lebanese
Keyword cookies, lebanese
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Pastry Dough
Date Filling
Walnut Filling
maamoul, cookies, lebanese
Instructions
Pastry Dough
  1. In a large bowl, combine the semolina, farina, mahlab and nutmeg together.
  2. In a small pot, melt your butter and add to flour mixture when butter is cooled. Cover.
  3. Let this mixture sit for 2-3 hours. After that time, add in your rose water, mix and cover again. Allow mixture to sit overnight.
  4. After mixture has sat overnight, remove about ½ cup of your mixture, set aside.
  5. Next, add in your orange blossom water, warm water and powdered sugar. Mix until a dough forms that sticks together when pressed between fingers. If dough is too dry, add a touch of water.
Date Filling
  1. In a small bowl, add your baking dates and softened butter. Mix to combine. Set aside.
Walnut Filling
  1. In the bowl of a food processor, add your walnuts, sugar, orange and rose waters and combine until nuts are fine and mixture forms together.
  2. Remove from food processor bowl to a standard bowl.
  3. Add in your ½ cup of reserved pastry dough mixture and mix together. Set aside.
Assembling and Baking
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Begin by taking about a teaspoon sized piece of dough and begin to flatten. Fill the center with either your date or walnut mixture and seal all around to create a ball.
  3. In your wooden mold, place the filled dough ball and press firmly to allow the impression to mark the dough.
  4. Bang the wooden mold to release the formed cookie. Place on baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes on upper ⅓ rack of oven.
  5. Cookies will be done when bottoms are slightly red.
  6. After coming out of the oven, dust the WALNUT cookies with powdered sugar (date cookies leave plain)
  7. Let cool and enjoy!
Recipe Notes

** Using a scale to measure ingredients is most accurate for this recipe. ** If the dough gets to too soft to work with, you can refrigerate for a bit to firm up. **If you can't find Mahlab spice, you can substitute additional nutmeg or cardamom, or omit completely.  **Wooden molds can be found here or at any Middle Eastern grocery store.   

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Chocolate Olive Oil Cookies

cookies, olive oil, chocolate, baking, chocolate chip

Carapelli Olive Oil elevates these cookies from simple to divine.

There are some things that you just fall in love with. Cute babies, fresh flowers, the smell of a fresh rain, new shoes and these cookies! Seriously, you will fall in love with these cookies because they are soft, chewy and have such a depth of flavor. Since fall is on the horizon, a few extra cookies is just what the doctor ordered. Add some molasses and brown butter and we're really talking fall! A touch of Carapelli Unfiltered Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil makes these cookies really special, that nutty flavor plays so well with the brown butter and molasses to create a perfect treat. 

cookie, chocolate, olive oil, dessert

Scoops of this perfect dough get ready for the oven.

The cookie is a science all on its own balancing what ingredients and process to make them the ULTIMATE:

BUTTER or OIL
BROWN SUGAR or GRANULATED SUGAR
REFRIGERATE or NOT

Then you have to decide do you want them: CHEWY or CAKEY? So many choices and so many variations. I'm a big fan of a chewy cookie with a crispy edge, the ultimate balance. If I want a cakey cookie, I'd rather just eat cake!

These cookies go one step beyond your average chocolate chip cookie with the addition of cocoa powder. The cocoa powder gives the cookies that signature crinkle and really make it decadent. 

I'm not saying these are the BEST cookies you'll ever have, but I do think if you don't try them you may regret it. Don't you want to sample a bite of heaven? A cookie that has deep flavors of olive oil, molasses and brown butter, giving them an almost caramel note? 

So, grab your mixer and make a batch today!

cookie, chocolate, olive oil, dessert

Those puddles of chocolate and salt are rich and gooey!

As always, I would love to see your creations! Tag me on Instagram @CosettesKitchen or post on my Facebook Page. 

xoxo,
Cosette


Print Recipe


Chocolate Olive Oil Cookies

cookie, chocolate, olive oil, dessert

Course Dessert
Cuisine Dessert
Keyword cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings


Ingredients

Course Dessert
Cuisine Dessert
Keyword cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings


Ingredients

cookie, chocolate, olive oil, dessert


Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Makes approximately 24 cookies.

  2. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

  3. In a small saucepan, melt your stick of unsalted butter. Allow to melt and slowly begin to brown. You'll start to see brown bits forming, stir and swirl the pan making sure the butter doesn't burn. You'll start to smell some caramel notes, remove from heat when browned.

  4. In your mixing bowl, cream together the melted (but cooled) browned butter, olive oil, sugars and molasses. Beat in the vanilla and eggs until creamy, about 5 minutes. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients (sift the baking soda and cocoa powder), mix until just combined. Add in the chocolate chunks.

  5. Drop cookies (about 2 tablespoons per cookie) onto cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes then top with additional chocolate chunks and flake salt. Bake for another 3-5 minutes until edges are crisp and centers are soft.

  6. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack.


Recipe Notes

**You can freeze cookie balls (omit salt) on a sheet pan then transfer to a ziploc bag. Pop out a few cookies whenever you want and bake them off. 

**Store cookies in an airtight container for 3-5 days

**Best to bake 1 cookie sheet at a time, if you bake 2 at once, swap trays halfway to ensure even baking. 

 

 

 

 


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