Buskut (Somali Butter Cookies)

Name: Buskut (Somali Butter Cookies)
Prep time: PT0D0H0M
Cook time: PT0D0H45M
Total time: PT0D0H45M
Yield: 25–30 cookies
Cuisine: Somali
Ingredients: 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour; 1½ tsp. ground cardamom; ¾ tsp. fine salt; ½ tsp. baking powder; 12 Tbsp. (170 g) unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup (200 g) sugar; 1 large egg; ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Spiced with cardamom, these beautifully ridged treats are perfect for dipping in coffee or tea.

Makes
25–30 cookies
Time
45 minutes

SIMON BAJADA (COURTESY PHAIDON)

By Ben Mims

Published on December 17, 2024

This recipe is brought to you by the SAVEUR Cookbook Club, our passionate community of food-loving readers from around the globe, celebrating our favorite authors and recipes. Join us as we cook through a new book every month, and share your food pics and vids on social media with the hashtags #SAVEURCookbookClub and #EatTheWorld.

In his fourth cookbook, Crumbs, food writer and former SAVEUR editor Ben Mims takes a deep dive into global cookie culture, sharing the recipes and histories of 300 cookies from around the world. These lightly sweet, crispy cookies—one of many styles collectively called buskut, or “biscuit” in Somalia—are a popular treat often made to celebrate the holiday of Eid. You will need a cookie press to pipe the dough into wreath, ring, or “long biscuit” shapes, the last of which produces a delicious ridged cookie ideal for dipping in coffee or tea. Though these cookies may resemble the paste di meliga of Northern Italy, reflecting Italy’s colonization of Somalia in 1889, cardamom is a signature ingredient of East Africa, and reflects Somalia’s position as an important historic point along the spice trade.

Featured in “Eat the World in 300 Cookies With This New Cookbook” by Jessica Carbone.

Ingredients

2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. ground cardamom
¾ tsp. fine salt
½ tsp. baking powder
12 Tbsp. (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract

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Instructions

Step 1

Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom, salt, and baking powder.

Step 2

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until no dry patches of flour remain.

Step 3

Working in batches, scrape the dough into a cookie press fitted with a wreath, ridged line or “biscuit,” or flower disc and drop the shaped cookies 1 inch apart on two large unlined baking sheets. (If making the “long biscuit” shape, pipe 3-inch lengths of dough 1 inch apart.) Refrigerate the remaining dough as you pipe each batch.

Step 4

Bake, rotating and swapping the baking sheets halfway through cooking, until very light golden brown on the bottom and dry to the touch all over, 12–15 minutes.

Step 5

Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks. Cool for 1 minute, then transfer the individual cookies to the racks to cool completely.

Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom, salt, and baking powder.
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until no dry patches of flour remain.
Working in batches, scrape the dough into a cookie press fitted with a wreath, ridged line or “biscuit,” or flower disc and drop the shaped cookies 1 inch apart on two large unlined baking sheets. (If making the “long biscuit” shape, pipe 3-inch lengths of dough 1 inch apart.) Refrigerate the remaining dough as you pipe each batch.
Bake, rotating and swapping the baking sheets halfway through cooking, until very light golden brown on the bottom and dry to the touch all over, 12–15 minutes.
Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks. Cool for 1 minute, then transfer the individual cookies to the racks to cool completely.