Iftar Cookies

I have longed for this moment for what feels like forever. Finally, I’ve reached it. If you’re reading this, then you’ve reached it with me. Rejoice! At long last, I have my Ramadan cookies. Due to my Palestinian upbringing, Ramadan has always been a very important part of the year. There are a ton of good things to be said about fasting, but I have to say… it does NOT get my cookie creativity flowing, personally. If I’m fasting, then I’m likely trying not to think about cookies, ya know?

But this year is different. This year I’m breastfeeding (which means I am exempt from the fast; not mandatorily, I can still do it if I want to. Fun fact: pregnant or menstruating women, children, the elderly, & those with health conditions are also exempt from fasting.) So this year, I’ve been free to try new flavors…and fail… and try again and again until I get it right. From that have come these 3 new flavors: The Jericho (pictured left), The Simsim (pictured center), and the last one which I’m sure you recognize, The Nabulsieh (pictured right.)

Let’s get into it.

The Jericho is a brown base. Namely, it is a rich, brown butter & brown sugar dough. It’s warm, like a towel straight from the dryer on a long day or a hug from your mom when you haven’t seen her in a long time. And don’t let the explicit mention of brown sugar fool you; it is perfectly balanced in its sweetness. It has to be, because it’s got Jericho dates in it, hence the name. Jericho, in Palestine’s West Bank, is home to some of the most delicious Medjool dates you will ever have, harvested from some of the oldest trees in the region. It’s a crop from which Palestinian farmers have sustained themselves on for generations. They are paired with rich, dark Ghiradelli chocolate chunks and chopped pistachios. The chewiness of the dates, the crunch from the pistachios, & the smooth dark chocolate are a texture lover’s dream. This cookie is my masterpiece, truly.

The Simsim, or “sesame” in Arabic, is also a staple food not just in Palestine but all over the middle east. In Palestine, you can find vendors selling the traditional ka’ak al-Quds, or Jerusalem bread, a fluffy ring-shaped bread completely covered with roasted simsim. It is also often added to desserts like cookies, or used to garnish them. A not-so-fun fact: prior to 1948, there was a village in Gaza named Simsim. From May 12-June 10, 1948 the terrorist group Haganah continually attacked the village until all inhabitants were killed or driven out. Today, it is a settlement in Israel called Gvar’am. This cookie is a vanilla sugar cookie base, swirled with black sesame paste, drizzled with a warm cinnamon maple sauce. It’s as unique as it scrumptious.

The last cookie needs no introduction. It’s a cookie based on the legendary dessert from Nablus, knafah. I thought about this one a lot. Should I stick with tradition? Should I innovate? I figured, since this is what I do, I’d just try it. I wouldn’t push it if it didn’t work out. But it was amazing. It’s got a brown butter base, it is stuffed with a mixture of ashta & Nabulsi cheese, brushed with a simple syrup flavored with orange zest, and topped with buttery shredded phyllo. And yes, I ditched the flavored waters. If you’re gonna stray from tradition you might as well go all in. Those waters can taste soapy, sorry guys.

I’m OVER THE MOON about this. I hope you guys are half as excited as I am.

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