Cumin Biscuits - a classic Pakistani sweet and salty cookie

I know, there have been gaps in posting but you can't blame me that much. There isn't a single day I don't plan something for my baby blog but sadly its the most neglected child of mine, the other two being more demanding. My 5 years old daughter and 2 months old son keep me on my toes all the time. I do manage to utilize time in between and bake so expect some super quick and easy recipes coming in near future. Besides home and kids frenzy, I take orders for cake decoration so that makes life a bit more busy. So lets talk and straight to a very nice recipe, I had planned to share for a long time.






In Pakistan, fresh cookies from bakeries are very popular and usually every house has a jar full of them to go with evening tea. These are one such cookies called 'Zeera Biscuits' normally, here zeera is Urdu word for cumin and what a classic spice it is. Popular in both savory and sweet dishes, this cookie sometimes also called saltish zeera cookies but hey, dont be deceived by the name as it contains considerable amount of sugar and that too icing sugar. Rest of the ingredients are simple. 


Some thoughts about making cookies:


1. You should never knead the dough, the idea is to just combine the ingredients to form a ball. You can keep it in fridge, well-wrapped for better handling but no kneading.


2. If at times your dough doesnt form, you can add flour or cold water to bind it but again no kneading.


3. While baking, use parchment/baking paper to achieve golden brown color.


4. Cookies are usually done in 10-15 mins. Not more than that.




So here goes the recipe:


Ingredients
Flour 250 gm
Butter 125gm
Icing Sugar 125gm
Egg yolk or half egg beaten (might need more for binding)
Salt 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tbsp


Method
1. Beat butter and sugar until creamy.
2. Add egg.
3. Add sifted flour, cumin and salt and mix with hands till just combined.
4. Wrap in plastic and stick in fridge for about 20 mins.
5. Roll out the dough on a well floured surface about 1/8" thick.
6. Prick with fork. Cut out with round cookie cutter and place on parchment lined baking sheet.
7. Bake in pre-heated oven at gas mark 4 for about 10-15 mins until golden brown.