Nutty Cookies

Ingredients

• 250 g butter, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• A pinch of vanilla
• Zest of lemon, orange, or lime
• All-purpose flour, as needed
• Also need 1 egg white
• Ground nuts (hazelnut, almond, or walnut)
• Chocolate spread (e.g., Nutella) or jam, as desired
• Note:
• When you remove the cookies from the oven they may still feel soft. Let them cool completely and they will firm up.
• Chocolate cookie recipe by a friend and cook on Shoutabkhin Today:
• Hanadi Al-Ayass
• Click Hanadi’s name for more of her lovely recipes on her Shoutabkhin Today profile
• For the recipe for "Zanoud Al-Sitt" using saj bread click: Zanoud Al-Sitt with Saj Bread
• For Shaeibiyat recipe see: Oven Shaeibiyat

Method

1. In a bowl, beat the butter with the sugar, egg yolk, and citrus zest until well combined.
2. Add 4 tablespoons of flour, the vanilla, and the baking powder.
3. Knead the mixture and add more flour as needed to form a workable dough.
4. Form small balls from the dough, dip them in the egg white, then roll them in the ground nuts (coat about half the ball).
5. Press each ball lightly so the nuts adhere well.
6. Create a small indentation in each cookie and place them on a baking tray.
7. Leave enough space between cookies for spreading.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (355°F).
9. When the cookies begin to brown, switch on the top heat briefly to color them, then remove from the oven and let them cool completely.
10. Fill or top the cookies with chocolate spread or jam as desired.