I’m surprised at how widespread Valentine’s Day is in India
We had a choice of Linzer Heart Cookies or Heart Shaped Crunchy Cookies. I went with the latter since I like a good crunch – be it in cake, chocolate or cookies! This recipe has been adapted from the book, Chewy,Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy, by Alice Medrich.
What you’ll need: (for 20-30 cookies, depending upon the size of your cookie cutter)
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tbsp flax seeds
2 tbsp coarse raw sugar (I used Demerara)
1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or substitute with ½ teaspoon of baking powder)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt (I skipped it since my butter was salted)
4 tbsp butter, very soft
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Half of 1 large egg (optional)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
Note: You may use nuts and seeds of your choice, like poppy or sunflower seeds or finely chopped almonds or cashews.
What you’re going to do:
1. Preheat oven to 190° C. In a shallow bowl, mix seeds and coarse sugar and set aside.
2. In a different medium bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar and baking soda, and mix together thoroughly with a fork.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-low, until smooth and well-blended but not fluffy.
4. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture, half at a time, and mix with a spatula until completely incorporated and formed into dough.
5. Flatten the dough into a disc and place it between two sheets of parchment or cling wrap. Roll till the dough is about ¼-½ inch thick.
6. Sprinkle the dough with half of the seed-sugar mix. Roll tightly over the seeds with a rolling pin to press them in. Turn the dough over. Sprinkle and roll the remaining seeds.
7. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out heart shapes. Carefully lift each cookie with a spatula and place them two inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (14-16 for larger cookies) until cookies are slightly browned on the edges, rotating pans halfway through. Set the liners on racks to cool.
Cookies will keep for up to two weeks in an airtight container. With the scraps left behind, I repeated the process, but sprinkled a little of the seed-sugar mix on the cut out cookies.
These cookies are super, super crunchy!!! The seeds give it a beautiful nutty taste and smell, and they’re just delicious overall! This recipe is really good, the dough doesn’t stick and the cookies are easy to cut out and place in the pan. It’s easier than it appears, so do try it out. Thank you Swathi for suggesting this recipe!!
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