Best Persian Cookies Recipes

THE REBBETZIN CHEF'S PERSIAN WALNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, mix together the ground walnuts, 3 egg yolks, sugar, cardamom, baking soda and rose water until well blended. Roll teaspoon sized pieces of dough into balls and place onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Cookies should be spaced 2 inches apart. Whisk together the remaining egg yolk and water using a fork. Press a walnut piece into each cookie, then brush with the egg yolk glaze.
• Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. The cookies will appear soft and undercooked but take heart, they will harden considerably when cooled. Allow them to cool on the baking sheets for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

NAN-E GERDUI - TRADITIONAL PERSIAN WALNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until creamy. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and walnuts. Beat thoroughly for a few minutes with a wooden spoon.
• Preheat oven to 300°F Grease a cookie sheet. Drop batter by the teaspoonful on the sheet, leaving about 2 1/2 inches between cookies. Decorate each one with ground pistachios.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes in the center of the oven. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool. Lift the cookies off the sheet.
• Arrange the cookies on a serving dish. Nush-e Jan!

PERSIAN RICE COOKIES (NAAN BERENJI)

Steps:

• Mix together the canola oil and white sugar.
• Beat eggs and add along with the rose water to the sugar mixture.
• Add the white rice flour, baking powder and cardamom and blend into a thick dough.
• Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350F/180°C Line a cookie sheet with baking paper or oil lightly.
• Take a spoonful of dough the size of a walnut, roll into a ball between your palms, flatten slightly, and place on the cookie sheet. Repeat, leaving about an inch between cookies.
• Sprinkle the ground pistachios on top or poppy seeds if using.
• Place cookie sheet in the preheated oven and bake for about 15-22 minutes, or until firm and cracked on top. They should still be quite white but have a slight golden bottom.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing from the paper, and be careful these cookies crumble very easily.
• Store in an airtight container until serving.

NAN-E NOKHOCHI (PERSIAN CHICKPEA-FLOUR COOKIES)

Steps:

• Beat the butter, sugar and cardamom together until creamy. Beat in the egg yolk (to make a firmer cookie, or omit to keep it more "short"). Mix in the flour and knead until smooth. Traditionally the dough is rolled out and cut with a cookie cutter, or made by hand into little balls. As the dough is quite difficult to handle, I prefer the following alternative: Pack the dough firmly into a greased rectangular container so that it is about 1/2 inch thick. Cut across both ways to make 1/2 cubes. Chill the dough for about 1/2 hour, then carefully remove the cubes. Place the cookies about 1 inch spacing on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes at 300. Allow to cool on the sheet before removing.

PERSIAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream wet ingredients. Mix dry ingredients then combine with wet ingredients.
• I like to use 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening or 1/2 butter and 1/2 coconut oil. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

PERSIAN RAISIN COOKIES

Steps:

• Ccream butter and sugar with mixer on medium speed until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time.
• Add vanilla, saffron and salt. Beat to blend. On low speed, beat in flour until moistened.
• Stir in raisins.
• Scoop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls.
• Roll 1 to 1-1/4-inch balls. Place balls 3 inches apart on baking sheet lined with parchment.
• Bake one batch at a time in centre of preheated 350F oven until browned at the edges and golden on top, 12 to 14 minutes.

KOLOOCHEH (PERSIAN PURIM COOKIES)

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together (or use a fork) until creamy. Stir in 1 tbs water with the vanilla and salt until well combined.
• Mix in 1-1 1/2 c flour until combined (the texture should be crumbly). Then knead in the remaining flour until the dough pulls away from the bowl and becomes stiffer/no longer crumbly.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a blender or food processor, combine walnuts, sugar, rosewater and salt until a slightly chunky paste forms.
• Pinch off a walnut-sized piece of dough and flatten it in your palm. It should be approximately 2.5-3 inches in diameter.
• Add a small amount of filling (about 1/2 tsp) to the center of the dough. Pinch it shut, then pat to make a round cookie.
• Place in a greased/floured cookie sheet or pan, repeat until all the dough is used up.
• Bake 15-25 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown and the tops are lightly browned and no longer soft (and the house will smell delicious!).
• Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.
• Enjoy!

PERSIAN COOKIES (NANE SHIRINI)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 235.
• In a large bowl, sift or mix with a fork, 2 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
• In a separate bowl, cream thoroughly 1 cup of shortening and 1 cup of granulated sugar.
• Blend in 2 egg yolks, vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon extract. Mix well.
• Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until dough is well blended.
• Roll dough into round balls with hands, using about 1 level teaspoon of dough for each ball.
• Place on an ungreased baking sheet and flatten slightly with a spoon.
• Bake for 20 minutes.

PERSIAN BUTTER COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolks.
• Stir in grated lemon rind.
• Add lemon juice and vanilla.
• Add flour.
• Form into small balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten into rounds.
• Bake at 300°F for 20 minutes or until done.
• Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

PERSIAN WALNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160 degrees Celsius or Centigrade).
• Beat egg yolks with sugar until very thick and almost white.
• Mix chopped walnuts and lemon rind into yolk mixture.
• Drop teaspoonfuls of batter onto ungreased cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between them.
• Bake for about 10 minutes or until cookies are dry and firm.Remove from sheet when cool.

PERSIAN CHICKPEA FLOUR COOKIES (NAN-E NOKHOCHI )

Steps:

• Beat butter & powdered sugar together until creamy.
• Add egg yolk & cardamom.
• With your hands knead in the chickpea flour until smooth.
• This dough is very "short" and needs to be well kneaded. For an even "shorter" dough, omit the egg yolk.
• Pinch off tiny pieces of dough about the size of hazelnuts and roll them into balls between the palms of your hands.
• Decorate the tops of the cookies by pricking them with the tines of a fork or by pressing the back of the tines horizontally onto the cookies.
• Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake in a slow oven (300F) for about 30 minutes.

PERSIAN CHICKPEA FLOUR COOKIES (NAN-E NOKHOCHI )

Steps:

• Beat butter & powdered sugar together until creamy.
• Add egg yolk & cardamom.
• With your hands knead in the chickpea flour until smooth.
• Pinch off tiny pieces of dough about the size of hazelnuts and roll them into balls between the palms of your hands.
• Decorate the tops of the cookies by pricking them with the tines of a fork or by pressing the back of the tines horizontally onto the cookies.
• Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake in a slow oven (300F) for about 30 minutes. This dough is very "short" and needs to be well kneeded. For an even "shorter" dough, omit the egg yolk.

PERSIAN CHICKPEA FLOUR COOKIES (NAN-E NOKHOCHI )

Steps:

• Beat butter & powdered sugar together until creamy.
• Add egg yolk & cardamom.
• With your hands knead in the chickpea flour until smooth.
• Pinch off tiny pieces of dough about the size of hazelnuts and roll them into balls between the palms of your hands.
• Decorate the tops of the cookies by pricking them with the tines of a fork or by pressing the back of the tines horizontally onto the cookies.
• Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake in a slow oven (300F) for about 30 minutes. This dough is very "short" and needs to be well kneeded. For an even "shorter" dough, omit the egg yolk.