My recipe box will always have room for food that feels thoughtful and inviting, and Barazek ~ برازق earns its place. This is the sort of sweet I enjoy with coffee, good conversation, and no particular rush. Its Middle Eastern roots give the recipe a sense of both comfort and occasion. Keep this one close for the days when time is short but a good meal still matters.
Ingredients
- 250g all purpose flour
- 125g ghee
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 2 tbs thick simple syrup
- 150g toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tbs sugar
- 1 tbs water
- 1 cup roughly crushed pistachios
Simple syrup
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/8 tsp citric acid or 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Kneed the flour with 125 g of ghee until it forms a smooth ball. Cover and place in the freezer 30 minutes.
- Prepare the sugar syrup to add to the dough, stir the 1/2 cup sugar with 1/4 cup very cold water and 2 tbs simple syrup. If you don’t have simple syrup make it ahead of time it needs to be thick and cold. Keep the mixture in the fridge until it’s time to work with the dough.
- Once you take the dough out of the freezer it will be as hard as a rock you need to break it down with you fingers into small pieces. Add the sugar syrup and work it into the dough until there’s no lumps, it will be become creamy. Cover and let rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Prepare the sesame topping by adding simple syrup and sugar rub between your hand so it’s coated then add water then continue gathering and rubbing it should feel and stick like grains of sand.
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- To work with dough you can either roll and cut or form balls to desired size small is best.
- I found the later worked for me best.
- Press the ball in the pistachio while flattening a bit then invert into the sesame and press a couple of times after place on your baking sheet and press to flatten again. They need to be really thin.
- Bake in the oven on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, each oven is different so I would check after 18 minutes. It should have a slight golden color.
- Take out of the oven and with the tip of a knife or spatula lift the cookies in the same pan so they would stop cooking.
- After cooled keep in an airtight container.
- EID MUBARAK every one 🌙🕌.