Thursday, April 12, 2007

north african chickpea flour cookies

these are a very easy-to-make type of cookie which uses a combination of chickpea and all purpose flour. they fall into the class of cookies called ghoreyba which generally involves a type of oil or fat mixed with a flour of some sort and sugar. they do not use eggs and can be made vegan [(if soy margarine is used) — can't vouch for its success as i've never tried this route].

this particular sort of ghoreyba is made into ropes and then rolled in sesame seeds before being cut and baked. they will only be at their best for a few days, however. they don't seem to have a very long shelf life. for those of you not used to using chickpea flour and who decide to try this recipe, you may find there is a tinge of bitterness. this is mostly overcome by the roasting of the raw chickpea flour.

you will notice that the recipe uses olive oil. this is because it is a recipe of north african origin. i'm sure it could be interchanged with regular oil if you don't have or want to use it. just make sure you use a mild olive oil and not extra virgin.



ghoreyba soumsoum (sesame)

ingredients:


1 1/2 c toasted chickpea flour
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 c granulated sugar

1/4 c mild olive oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, melted

1 tbsp water or more as necessary

generous 1/2 cup sesame seeds, or more as needed

method:

preheat oven 325F

if the chickpea flour you are using is not already toasted, then place it in a dry fry pan or wok and over medium heat, cook it until it darkens and is fragrant. it should take about 5 to 10 minutes. you must do this or the cookies will not taste good.

put the toasted chickpea flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, and sugar in a food processor and blend to mix.

now add olive oil and butter and process until combined. add the water, using only enough to make a cohesive dough. when it comes together into a ball, it is ready.

knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth for about 30 seconds.

divide this dough into six equal balls. roll each one into a log which measures about 3/4 inches in diameter.

roll it in the sesame seeds. press to make sure they stay on.

cut each of the rolls diagonally into about 2" [5 cm] slices. take the end pieces and press them together so as not to waste them.

place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.


bake approximately 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

place cookies on a rack and let cool. they will be at their best for about 3 days.

enjoy!

17 comments:

Viji said...

This is quite interesting and easy to make. Nice presentation. Viji

Anonymous said...

I've seen you kind of busy as well BB. Look I already(at the end)got the book "seductions of rice"(better late than never), but still haven't look at it in detail, I just saw some recipes and looks fantastic. Thank you again for the recomendation. I'll write something about it when I get some sleep(that will be in 2 more days). Hope your are doing just fine.

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Those cookies look very fine! I love chickpea flour and have never used it this way, so I'll have to give your recipe a try...

Emily DeVoto, Ph.D., said...

Hooray for chametz! Hooray for kitniot! :-)

Coffee said...

That looks cool!!! Never heard or seen chick pea flour though!!!

BTW.... Where have you been???

burekaboy — said...

viji - hi there :D yes, they are very simple to make and different. hope you enjoy them if you decide to give it a try. thanks for the comment.

roberto - glad to hear you got it :D i'm pretty sure you'll like the book. it is just interesting to read also in terms of the stories that go along with their travels. if you have questions, email me, i have made alot of the stuff (not all though).

hasta ahora no tuve tiempo suficiente para hacer mucho como escribir aqui. hope things get back to normal soon!

rosa - hi rosa :) let me know how you like them. just make sure to press the seeds well into the ropes of dough.

em - LOL, how loud were you jumping and clapping at the time?! i second that motion -- here, here!! i only got all the stuff put away yesterday. still haven't changed the kitchen back, food wise. these are from a few months back, just didn't have time to post it.

coffee - haha, yes, it's quite the foreign ingredient, isn't it? especially for you!!! crazy girl. LOL. try these out, R, think you'll like them. fun to make, too.

i've been busy, busy, busy .... actually haven't been on computer much the past little while. will "e" you, check ur mail.

Anonymous said...

Ok, this I absolutely have to try, the recipe looks so simple for something so wonderful-looking.

Been busy this last month, things will get less crazy in a few weeks. Looking forward to trying out some more of your recipes then.

Vidya

burekaboy — said...

vidya - hey there :D seems everyone has been very busy the past month or so.

i'm sure you'll very much enjoy these cookies. looking forward to hearing about your trial with them. btw, you can also make a half recipe to test it out first. a half recipe makes about 21 or so from what i remember.

Richa said...

wow such an interesting and unique recipe, would love to try it.
Great pictures you have here.
thanks

Richa said...

btw the link to eggless choc cake on the sidebar does not work, thot u might like to know.
thanks

burekaboy — said...

richa - i hope you give them a try and let me know what you think. i quite like them. thank you for your comment/s and the visit :)

also, a big thank you for bringing the link problem re: the cake to my attention; it is now fixed. i forgot to remove some of the coding and it didn't allow for the link to be processed properly.

I Am Gluten Free said...

I wonder if you could use gluten free flour for the regular flour and thus make them gluten free cookies? What do you think?

burekaboy — said...

hi ellen - i haven't tried these with a gluten free flour but it could be worth a try with a half or even quarter recipe to test it out (so you don't waste too much if it doesn't work). i wouldn't be surprised if they'd work if you use a "replacer" flour such as the ones with guar and/or xanthum in them. i know karina from gluten free goddess has a general all purpose flour recipe, if you don't have one already yourself. if you do try it out and it works (or even doesn't), please let me know :)

thanks for the comment and the visit.

Beenzzz said...

I am really curious about these chick pea cookies. I have some of the flour on hand and I'm going to make them!
Hey! You said you were sending me something via e-mail. I didn't get it. :(

burekaboy — said...

beenzzz - let me know how you like them and how they turn out :D they're very easy to make.

[check the hotmail acct]

Anonymous said...

dese cookies es assome! hooray!

burekaboy — said...

hi anonymous - glad you like :) thanks for the comment.