This amazing cookie recipe is a family recipe that has been passed down through many generations. Ever since my Safta Tzipora (grandma) was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease I have wanted to learn more about her life in Syria, and learn more about the family recipes. My Safta immigrated to Israel when she was just a teenager. She left everything she knew, and loved due to safety of the jewish people in Syria. It became very dangerous to live in Syria as a Jew. When she immigrated to Israel with my Saba (grandfather) she still stayed very close to her roots. The family recipes that she has held on to have been passed down through generations. Now that she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, and can not cook on her own or remember the recipes, I feel more of a drive to want to learn more of her recipes. I love cooking more then I do baking, but for some reason, when I bake these cookies I feel like my Safta is standing right there with me. I feel like I am stepping into her past, and it makes me feel closer to her. This recipe is my Safta's exact recipe, and I am excited to share it with all of you. So let's get started!!!
It is a very easy recipe to follow, and can be made either as a half recipe or full recipe. Either way, it makes a lot of cookies. It is important to make the dough according to the recipe, and the secret is to get high quality Lakum. The higher quality of Lakum, the better the cookies will be. The dough itself is not very sweet, but the Lakum adds that perfect sweet touch. The cookies are made with margerine. I have learned that this is because in Syria, people who came from lower socio-economic backgrounds, didn't have refrigerators. They had to make food and eat it the same day. If they did bake, it had to be recipes without milk, or any ingredients that could spoil. This dough is made with margerine and orange juice as the liquid. In a mixer you will need to mix the margerine until it becomes a whipped consistancy. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and the baking powder together. Slowly add in the flour mixture until it is fully mixed with the margerine. The last step is to add the orange juice. Make sure to slowly add it in, otherwise the mixer will start splashing. Once the dough is fully mixed, put it in a greased mixing bowl, or a greased sheet of parchment paper. The dough will be very sticky, so it will need to be chilled overnight in the fridge. I learned from my grandmother that these were cookies that they made in the winter in Syria. The would put the dough outside in the cold weather in order for it to harden a bit before making the cookies.
Ingredients
Flour and margerine mixture.
Dough fully mixed after orange juice is added.
After the dough has chilled overnight in the fridge you can start to make the cookies. Separate the dough into even sections. It is important to not add too much flour when rolling the dough out. A good tip is to use greased parchment paper on top of the dough in order to roll the dough out successfully. Once you have the dough rolled out into circles, cut each circle with a pizza cutter into 8-10 even triangle pieces. It is important to cut the dough into small triangles. The cookies expand in the oven, but they are supposed to be very small/bite sized cookies. Once you have cut your triangles, it is time to roll out the Lakum.
Cut the Lakum into square shaped slices, and roll it in your hands until it takes the shape of a log or roll. Place one piece of Lakum on each triangle (at the top), and roll into a croissant type shape. Place on a baking sheet, and bake for around 10-12 minutes on 180 degress until golden brown. Once you want to serve the cookies, add a bit of powdered sugar to the top. Do not sprinkle the powdered sugar before hand because the dough will soak the sugar up. The cookies can also be frozen, and taken out as desired. These are great with tea or coffee. Enjoy!!!
Lakum Cookie dough after chilling 24 hours in the fridge.
Prepped Lakum Cookies station.
Lakum Cookies dough separated into sections.
Lakum
Triangles with rolled Lakum pieces.
Lakum Cookies after baking.
Safta Tzipora's Lakum Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
*400 g margerine (room temperature)
*700 g self rising flour or white all purpose flour with 2 packets baking powder added
*1 1/2 c red Lakum
*1 1/2 c orange juice (no pulp)
Instructions:
*Beat the margerine in the mixer until creamy and smooth.
*Slowly add in the flour while the mixer is running. Once the mixture has a dough like consistancy, start to slowly add the orange juice. Make sure to do so slowly in order for it not to splash.
*Place the dough in a greased mixing bowl, or on a greased sheet of parchment paper. Let it chill overnight in the fridge.
*After chilling overnight, take the dough out, and separate into even pieces. Take each piece (one by one), and roll out the dough into a circular shape.
*Take your pizza cutter, and cut each circle into 8-10 even triangles. Make sure the triangles are small.
*Cut your Lakum into small cubes. Then with your hands roll out the Lakum into small snake like pieces. You can add cornstartch to the Lakum to make it easier to roll out.
*Place the Lakum at the top of each triangle, on per piece. Then roll the dough into a croissant shape, and place on a lined baking sheet with spaces in between each cookie.
*Bake for 10-15 minutes on 180 degress, or until lightly golden brown.
*Serve with powdered sugar on top, and ENJOY!!
(Makes around 80 cookies for a full recipe, and around 40 cookies for a half recipe. For a half recipe just cut the amount of each ingredient in half.)
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