Persian Rice Cookies GF V
Recipe / Naomi Sherman
There are so many variations of this very traditional Persian rice cookie (or nan-e-berenji); some have rosewater, some cardamom. You can use poppyseeds or not. They can be decorated or left plain. All of them gift you with melt-in-your-mouth, buttery, crisp cookies that will become your new favourite.
Makes: 24 cookies
250g softened butter
150g icing sugar
300g rice flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 egg, beaten
Black poppyseeds, to garnish
1. Preheat oven to 175°C and line 2 large baking trays with paper.
2. Mix rice flour and baking powder and whisk to remove any lumps.
3. Using a stand mixer, cream together butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy, and add cardamom.
4. Gradually add rice flour, 1 tbsp at a time, and mix.
5. Add beaten egg, a little at a time, until the dough comes together and feels soft but not sticky.
6. You may not need the whole egg.
7. Form dough into walnut-sized balls and place them 5cm apart on your baking trays.
8. Dip the end of a meat mallet, a fork or other utensil into rice flour and press the design gently into the top of each cookie – I used the tip of a mini whisk.
9. Lightly sprinkle with poppyseeds.
10. Bake for 15-18 mins in the preheated oven until just lightly browned.
11. Allow cookies to cool on the baking tray.
12. They are very fragile when hot, so don't move them until they are cold and have firmed up a bit.
Saffron Sharbat GF V
Recipe / Naomi Sherman
Golden-yellow, rosewater-infused milk is a wonderful way to introduce these traditional Persian flavours. The only thing tricky about this recipe is remembering to bloom your saffron. You may be tempted to skip this step, but blooming the saffron overnight gives you a concentrated and intense saffron flavour that makes it worth the wait.
Makes: 2
1 tsp ground saffron
¼ cup boiling water
2 tbsp bloomed saffron
1 cup vanilla ice cream
½ cup milk
Pinch ground cardamom
2 tsp rosewater
1. Combine the powdered
