Rich Rolled Cinnamon Cookies

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Eid, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan. Traditionally, Muslims go to the mosque for a quick prayer in the morning and celebrate afterwards by eating with family and friends.

This year I made these cut out cookies for Eid, following a recipe that we used often when I was growing up. These cookies are thin and rich, but not too sweet, with a hint of cinnamon. There is something about their simplicity that makes them addictive.

I have so many childhood memories attached to these cookies. As kids, we painstakingly cut them out and decorated them, carefully adding details like a nose and eyes, as if they wouldn't be eaten hot out of the oven in 10 minutes. These days, I just use decorative sugar to add some color to the cookies.

The key to getting these cookies right is rolling the dough out to the right thickness. Too thin and they will be crisp and hard. Too thick and the cookies will not cook through. If you aren't sure that you have the right thickness, you can always try a few out before making a full batch.

I prefer to use plastic cookie cutters whenever possible, since I find them to be more durable and easier to maintain than the metal ones. Also, I've found that the cookie cutter shape actually makes a difference in the finished product. Choose a larger shape with fewer thin, sharp projections and it will result in a cookie that has a more even texture.

These cookies are perfect for any holiday and are especially fun for kids to decorate. Hope you enjoy!


Here is the recipe, adapted from Joy of Cooking:

Rich Rolled Cinnamon Cookies
(makes about 40 medium sized cookies)

For the cookie dough:
1 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

For making the cookies:
cookie cutters
rolling pin
decorative sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for several minutes until the butter lightens in color and becomes fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

Sift together the flour, salt, and cinnamon, or mix so the cinnamon is evenly spread throughout the flour. On low speed, add the dry ingredients gradually, mixing until just incorporated.

The dough should be rather thick at this point. Divide into two pieces, form them into flat balls, and cover them with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, until hard. If you don't chill it long enough, it will be sticky and the cookies will be difficult to cut out.

Place a piece of chilled dough between two sheets of wax paper and roll out to about 1/8 of an inch thick. Use your cookie cutters to cut as many cookies as you can from the dough, and then place each one on your cookie sheet. You should try to work rather quickly to cut them out, as the dough will become more difficult to work with as it warms up. Gather the remaining dough scraps, roll them into a ball, and return them to the fridge to keep chilled. Once the cookies are on the sheet, you can take your time to decorate them.

Alternate to the other dough piece still in the fridge, and repeat this process until you finish all the dough.

Bake for 6-9 minutes, until the cookie feels firm when you push on the top. If you can see visible brown spots around the side, you've taken it too far and may need to adjust the thickness of the dough or the cooking time.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Fennel and Dates

When I wrote about Moroccan Style Chicken and Chickpeas, I promised to tell you more about tagines. The word tagine refers to both a North African stew-like food, as well as the cooking vessel it is made in. Tagines are easy to make and full of exotic flavor, so if you haven't made one yet I highly recommend it.

The tagine pot is ideal for slow cooking. It has a cone shaped top, which allows liquid to condense and drip back down into the stew, creating a moist, flavorful dish. These days, mainstream brands like Le Creuset and Emily Henry have come up with their own westernized (and pricy) versions of the tagine.

I first started making tagines when my mom got me the Le Creuset tagine for my birthday last year. At first it was pretty amazing to me that something which looks so decorative can actually be used on the stovetop like any other pot. One of the few things that is different about cooking with a tagine is that you generally want to keep it over low heat after putting the top on.

Usually in tagine recipes there is some kind of sweet ingredient (like honey, dates, raisins, or other dried fruit) which contrasts with spices (like cumin, coriander, and ginger). The practice of cooking savory food with fruit is thought to have been brought to Morocco originally by Arabs who migrated to the country long ago. Tagine recipes traditionally call for slow cooking, which produces some fantastic aromas and allows the sweet and savory flavors to blend.

This recipe is taken from the Le Creuset website and uses dates, fennel, and lamb as the primary ingredients. While the original recipe calls for several hours of cooking, I've found that you can often get away with somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half, while still producing a tender stew. If you don't own a tagine of your own, I think this recipe would work just fine cooked in a regular pot. However, I love the visual appeal of serving the finished product in such a beautiful dish! :-)

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Fennel and Dates
(serves 3-4)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb, sliced thinly
1.5 lbs lamb, cut into 1-1.5 inch cubes (I usually ask the butcher for a piece of lamb that would work well in a stew. Also they are generally willing to cut into cubes for you if you ask.)
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup broth, or water
cilantro

Heat olive oil in the base of the tagine over medium heat. Add the fennel and red onion and sautee until translucent. Remove onion and fennel to a bowl.

Add the lamb pieces to the tagine base and cook a few minutes until just browned on all sides. Then add the spices and salt, stirring to combine evenly.

Finally, return the onion and fennel to the tagine, and add the dates and broth. (Depending on the tagine you are using, you may want more or less broth. It should be covering the ingredients most of the way, but should not be so close to the top that it will overflow during cooking.) Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 1 to 1.5 hours, until the meat is tender and soft.

Serve over a bed of couscous and garnish with cilantro.