WHY I LOVE THIS RECIPE: The dough was easy to work with and resulted in a really crunchy, tasty and beautifully-shaped cookie. A perfect ending to our Sephardic meal. Our other courses were Matbucha for the appetizer; Sephardic Challah, Quinoa Salad with Avocado, Citrus & Olives; Dafina for the main course, and Spiced Fruit Compote to accompany the cookies.

Desserts, Jewish Holidays

Servings: 32 cookies

Author: Beverly

Preheat oven to 325°.
Beat eggs (using paddle attachment) until very light and foamy for about 3-5 minutes.
Add oil, sugar, and vanilla to beaten eggs. Beat until well combined.
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Pour egg mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix with your hands until a dough forms. If the dough seems to wet add small amounts of flour or if it is too wet add a little oil. The dough should be soft and not crumbly.
Place the dough on a counter with a mat or parchment paper. Cover with the bowl. Let the dough rest for about 1/2 hour.
Uncover dough. Divide dough into about 32 equal balls about the size of walnuts. KEEP the dough under the bowl to prevent it from drying out.
Remove 8 pieces and roll each one into a ball. Then roll each ball into a 6" strand, keeping it round and not flattened. Continue this process until you have about 32 strands.
Take one strand and make short diagonal slits on one side. I made about 13 slits per strand. Pinch the ends together and seal each round with a little of the egg wash. Brush egg wash on the top of each round cookie. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the egg wash.
Place each cookie on a baking sheet. They can be placed close together since they do not spread during baking.
Bake 12 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool. Return to oven to twice bake until golden brown.
Lower oven to 160°. Bake for about 5-10 minutes.

Baking these cookies twice makes them super crunchy.

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