Iranian Rice Cookies (Nan–e Berenji)

Name: Iranian Rice Cookies (Nan–e Berenji)
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: makes About 90 Cookies
Ingredients: 3 ⁄ 4 cup sugar; 1 ⁄ 4 tsp. rosewater; 3 ⁄ 4 tsp. sugar; 1 egg yolk; 1 cup rice flour; 1 ⁄ 3 cup clarified butter or ghee; 2 1 ⁄ 2 tbsp. canola oil; 1 ⁄ 2 tsp. cardamom powder; 1 ⁄ 4 cup syrup; 1 tbsp. poppy seeds

Serves
makes About 90 Cookies

SAVEUR

These crumbly rice flour cookies are made using a sugar syrup infused with rose water, a classic ingredient in Middle Eastern sweets. The recipe is adapted from Najmieh Batmanglij's Food Of Life (Mage Publishers, 2011).

Ingredients

For the Syrup

³⁄₄ cup sugar
¹⁄₄ tsp. rosewater

For the Cookies

³⁄₄ tsp. sugar
1 egg yolk
1 cup rice flour
¹⁄₃ cup clarified butter or ghee
2 ¹⁄₂ tbsp. canola oil
¹⁄₂ tsp. cardamom powder
¹⁄₄ cup syrup
1 tbsp. poppy seeds

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Instructions

Step 1

Make the syrup: Combine sugar and ¼ cup water in a 1-qt. saucepan over high; stir until sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add rosewater. Cool until ready to use.

Step 2

Make the cookies: Heat oven to 350°. Combine sugar and yolk in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until creamy; set aside. In another bowl, combine rice flour, clarified butter, oil, and cardamom; add yolk mixture and mix until evenly combined. Add syrup and mix until combined. Set aside to cool. Roll dough into ⅛ oz. balls, about ¾” thick, and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Gently flatten each ball; using the grooved sides of a meat mallet (alternatively, use a fork), press grooves into cookies to create a pattern. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake, rotating halfway through, until cooked, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets as cookies are quite delicate while hot.

Make the syrup: Combine sugar and ¼ cup water in a 1-qt. saucepan over high; stir until sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add rosewater. Cool until ready to use.
Make the cookies: Heat oven to 350°. Combine sugar and yolk in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until creamy; set aside. In another bowl, combine rice flour, clarified butter, oil, and cardamom; add yolk mixture and mix until evenly combined. Add syrup and mix until combined. Set aside to cool. Roll dough into ⅛ oz. balls, about ¾” thick, and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Gently flatten each ball; using the grooved sides of a meat mallet (alternatively, use a fork), press grooves into cookies to create a pattern. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake, rotating halfway through, until cooked, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets as cookies are quite delicate while hot.