Hanukkah Cookie Swap 2020

Some focus on oil, latkes, and oil fried donuts.

I am going to focus on cookies, most of them include oil as an ingredient.

GULF EMIRATES SESAME TAHINI BLOSSOM COOKIES
Makes about 3 dozen blossoms

1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
7 tablespoons (100 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (150 grams) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
2/3 cup (165 grams) tahini
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (80 grams) untoasted sesame seeds, for sprinkling on cookies
About 36 chocolate kisses (unwrap them)

(1) Mix the flour and baking soda together.
(2) Beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt, using a paddle attachment, at low speed for a few seconds, and then median for 60 more seconds.
(3) Add in the egg and vanilla
(4) Add in the tahini, make sure it is smooth.
(5) Beat on medium speed for about 15 seconds.
(6) Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again for 15 seconds.
(7) Add in the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.
(8) Using your spatula, scrape down the bowl and give the dough a fold or two by hand
(9) There should be NO patches of unmixed ingredients
(10) Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to 24 hours.
(11) Preheat oven when ready to bake to 375 degrees
(12) Scoop the dough into 36 smooth balls
(13) Roll each ball in sesame seeds
(14) Roll balls again in your palms to make sure the seeds stick as well as the Abraham Accords will stick
(15) Place balls on baking sheets (about 12 per sheet).
(16) Bake about 10 minutes, until the cookies are light brown
(17) Remove from the oven, set or embed a kiss in the center of each one
(18) Bake for 2 more minutes
(19) Cool for at least an hour

HASMONIAN GARBONZO BEAN (CHICKPEA) COOKIES
WITH GREEK YOGURT DIP
Makes 3 dozen (36) Small Cookies

1 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups triple-sifted, roasted chickpea flour

(1) Combine the oil, sugar, cardamom, and salt in a bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer
(2) Beat on low speed to combine, then increase the speed to medium and beat for about 5 minutes
(3) Scrape down the bowl, like you are a Macabee.
(4) Add 3 1/2 cups of the chickpea flour and beat on low speed for 1 minute or until the dough is no longer sticky
(5) Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper
(6) Dust it with some of the remaining chickpea flour
(7) Place the dough on the dusted surface; knead until the dough is soft and pliable.
(8) Flatten the dough and shape it into a 3/4-inch-thick square.
(9) Cover the dough with a large sheet of plastic wrap; gently use a rolling pin to even out the surface of the dough without losing any thickness.
(10) Refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours
(11) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
(12) Line 2 baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper.
(13) Unwrap the dough. Use a 1 1/4-inch cloverleaf-shaped cookie cutter (or star of david shape) to form 36 cookies, spacing them 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheets.
(14) You can insert a sliver of pistachio vertically at the center of each cookie, in memory of the macabees and their families.
(15) Bake one sheet at a time for 25 to 30 minutes
(16) Cool

(17) You can dip in a bowl of Greek Yogurt, or choose not avoid Greco related foods
Note: Those cookies crumble easily, faster than a corrupted High Priest bows to Greek Assyrians

Olive Oil Chocolate Chippers
Makes 4 dozen small cookies

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup olive oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet or milk chocolate morsels
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

(1) Preheat the over to 350
(2) Line a baking sheet
(3) Combine the flours, salt and baking soda
(4) In a separate bowl (or stand mixer) combine the eggs and sugars
(5) Mix/Beat for 4 minutes
(6) Add in the olive oil and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes.
(7) Now add in the dry (flour) ingredients and mix until combined.
(8) Using a spatula, stir in the chocolate chips and optional nuts
(9) Using a teaspoon, place dough onto sheep, each about 3 inches apart
(10) Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, AND THEN rotate the sheets from top to bottom and front to back and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until lightly browned.
(11) Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the sheets, and then transfer to wire racks or other cooling tool

Olive Oil, Chocolate Gingerbread Biscotti
Makes 16 biscotti

1 1/4 cups (120 grams) whole-wheat pastry flour or regular whole-wheat flour
1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (53 grams) packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (85 grams) chopped dark chocolate (60 to 70 percent cacao solids)

(1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
(2) Select a baking sheet; line it with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
(3) In a bowl, whisk together the flours, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder and salt
(4) In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, sugars and eggs
(5) Add in the dry ingredients. It is better to add it in fourths.
(6) Add chocolate, stir it in well
(7) Place the dough onto the sheet and shape into two loaves (about 6 inches long, 3 inches wide)
(8) Leave 3 inches between the loaves
(9) Bake for 30 minutes
(10) Cool for 15 minutes
(11) Cut the loaves into 8 to 10 slices of biscotti each
(12) Lay the slices on the baking sheet, on their sides
(13) Reduce heat to 300
(14) BAKE AGAIN for 15 minutes.
(15) Cool

Forgotten Southern Chocolate Cookies
Based on American Cookie by Anne Byrn (Rodale Books, 2018).
Makes 30 cookies
Takes 75 minutes
Popularized by Jewish delis and bakeries in the Southern United States, like Gottlieb’s Bakery in Savannah, GA, these are chocolate meringues

2 3/4 cups (275 grams) confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup (42 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 pinch kosher salt
3 large egg whites (from which we will make merengue)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (234 grams) finely chopped pecans or walnuts

(1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
(2) Use oven’s middle rack
(3) Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
(4) Add sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer)
(5) Beat on low speed, combine ingredients
(6) Add the egg whites and beat on low speed
(7) Increase speed to high and beat until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.
(8) Hand stir in the vanilla and nuts
(9) Place 15 1 tablespoon drops of mixture per sheet
(10) Bake for 12-15 minutes (cookie should be soft on the inside)

SESAME HALVAH COOKIES
Makes 28 cookies

3 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon canola oil
3/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup good quality halvah
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 teaspoons coarse sugar

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
(2) Prepare 2 baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper
(3) Combine the canola oil, sesame oil, tahini, soy milk, sugar, molasses and vanilla extract in a bowl.
(4) Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and halvah and combine
(5) In a smaller bowl, combined the sesame seeds and coarse sugar
(6) Make tablespoon sized balls of dough. Roll them in the sesame seed-sugar mix
(7) Place on the baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart, and flatten slightly.
(8) Bake for about 6 minutes
(9) Rotate the baking sheet
(10) Bake for 6 more minutes
(11) Cool

BLUE(berry) AND WHITE (chocolate) cookies
Makes two dozen cookies

1 cup flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 large egg
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup oats, quick cooking or old-fashioned (not instant)
2 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup dried blueberries
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS
(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees
(@) Combine the flour, wheat germ, baking soda, salt and ground ginger in a bowl
(3) In a larger bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, oil and vanilla extract.
(4) Add to the egg bowl, the flour mixture.
(5) Mix in the oats, chocolate, blueberries and crystallized ginger
(6) Combine, stir lightly
(7) Plop rounded tablespoonfuls, 1.5 inches apart, onto baking sheets.
(8) Bake for 4 minutes
(9) Rotate baking sheet
(10) Bake another 4-5 minutes until puffed.

RUGELACH
makes 80

14 tablespoons butter
8 ounces cream cheese
2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup Jam
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

(1) Line 3 baking pans with parchment paper or butter very well.
(2) Cream the butter and cream cheese till very fluffy
(3) Add sugar and flour until well combined.
(4) Split into 5 groups
(5) Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
(6) Lightly flour one group of dough at a time
(7) Roll out between two sheets of wax paper, about 10 or 12 inches in diameter.
(8) Mix nuts, cinnamon and sugar together.
(9) Blend together with jam in a food processor or melt and cool it to make it easy to brush onto the soft dough.
(10) Brush dough with a thin layer of jam.
(11) Cut round into 16 wedges (like it is a pizza that you have cut into 16 slices)
(12) Roll each slice up from the outside edge inwards and place on baking sheet.
(13) Bake at 350 about “18” minutes til brown
(14) Cool (on the parchment paper if you used paper)

It’s not a cookie
but I recommend an OLIVE OIL CHALLAH
as made by MELISSA CLARK for the Shabbat that
occurs during HANUKKAH

Olive Oil Challah
Recipe from Myrna Aronson
Adapted by Melissa Clark

TIME: 3 hours 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS
½ cup/118 milliliters fresh orange juice at room temperature (from about 2 medium oranges. Do not use store bought orange juice. It inhibits yeast growth. You need to squeeze the orange yourself)
2 ¼ teaspoons/1/4 ounce/7 grams active dry yeast (1 packet)
? cup/78 milliliters olive oil – you can use grapeseed oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
3 tablespoons/37 grams sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ to ½ teaspoon grated orange or lemon zest, to taste (optional)
3 to 3 ½ cups/360 to 420 grams bread flour, plus more for kneading dough

PREPARATION
(1) In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine orange juice and 1 tablespoon water.
(2) Sprinkle yeast over top and let sit until frothy, about 5 minutes.
(3) Add oil, 2 eggs, 1 yolk, the sugar, the salt and the zest, if using, and beat with a dough hook until just combined.
(4) Add in flour, 1 cup/125 grams at a time, until dough comes together into a sticky mass. You may or may not use all of the flour, so at the end, add it gradually. The dough should come away from the sides of the bowl but not be at all stiff. You’re looking for a slightly sticky, soft dough.
(5) Transfer dough to floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl and turn the dough over.
(6) Cover bowl with a clean dish towel and let rise in a draft-free place until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 3 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen. (It may take longer in colder kitchens.)
(7) Press down dough to expel all the air, cover bowl, and let rise for another 45 minutes.
(8) In a small bowl, make egg wash by combining the remaining 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water. To make a classic braided challah, cut dough into three equal pieces and roll them each into ropes 12 inches long. Or, to make a braided round loaf, cut dough into six equal pieces and roll them each into thinner ropes 12 inches long.
(9) Braid the challah:
(10) Let rise uncovered for 45 minutes.
(11) Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees with a rack in the middle. Gently brush a second coat of egg wash on the dough, then bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until challah is a deep rich brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. (When it starts smelling like freshly baked bread, start checking.) Cool on a wire rack before serving.

Baking Book Recommendations:

American Cookie by Anne Byrn (Rodale Books, 2018).

Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies by Najmieh Batmanglij

The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur: Over 140 Simply Delicious by Kelly Peloza.

100 Kosher Hanukkah Recipes: Making More Memories in your Kitchen with Kosher Hanukkah Cookbook! Paperback by Marti Loza (August 2020).

Sufganiyot, Latkes and More Hanukkah Traditional Foods: 20 Easy & Delicious Israeli Recipes by Miriam Gurov (Nativ Institute, Jerusalem), Lena Mintz. October 2020

The Artisanal Kitchen: Jewish Holiday Baking: Inspired Recipes for Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, Purim, Passover, and More by Uri Scheft, Raquel Pelzel. (September 2020)

Modern Jewish Baker: Challah, Babka, Bagels & More by Shannon Sarna (2017)

Jewish Holiday Baking by Joan Nathan

The Children’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen: 70 Ways to Have Fun with Your Kids and Make Your Family’s Celebrations Special by Joan Nathan.

A Jewish Baker’s Pastry Secrets: Recipes from a New York Baking Legend for Strudel, Stollen, Danishes, Puff Pastry, and More by George Greenstein, Elaine Greenstein, Julia Greenstein, Isaac Bleicher.

Secrets of a Jewish Baker by George Greenstein.