There's nothing like greeting Shabbat with the smell of home baking, but cookies can't bake themselves, so to truly enjoy your weekend, Ynet offers five easy recipes to sweeten your weekend even for those who do not have the time or desire to slave in a hot kitchen.
More stories:
Microwave cookies in five minutes
By Oren Luxenburg
Ingredients (for 12 cookies):
110g (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour (can be substituted with any other type of flour)
65g softened butter, cut into cubes
30g (2 tablespoons) brown sugar
20g (1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 beaten egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Instructions:
- Mix the butter with the egg and sugars in a food processor until you get a uniform mixture. If you don't have a food processor, you can mix the ingredients in a bowl with a whisk.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and pulse again until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to plastic wrap, shape it into a log, and wrap tightly.
- Place the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes. You can store it in the freezer for up to two months and bake fresh cookies each time.
- Remove the frozen dough and use a sharp knife to slice it into rounds about 1/2 cm thick.
- Place the cookie rounds on a baking paper-lined plate, sprinkle a little brown sugar on each cookie, and place them in the microwave.
- Microwave on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. (1 1/2 minutes will result in softer cookies, while 2 minutes will yield very crispy cookies).
- Remove from the microwave and let the cookies cool for a few minutes.
Chocolate chip cookies
By Sunny Deri
Ingredients (for 48-50 cookies):
200g granulated sugar
200g packed brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
200g softened butter
350g all-purpose flour
Splash of vanilla extract
180g chocolate chips (60g of any chocolate you prefer)
Instructions:
- Prepare the dough: In a small saucepan over low heat, gently melt the butter. In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, mix all the ingredients except for the chocolate chips for 2-3 minutes until you get a crumbly and almost uniform mixture.
- Add the softened butter to the mixture while stirring, and continue to mix until you have a smooth dough. Add the chocolate chips and mix for another minute. After a minute, finish mixing the dough by hand, ensuring that the chocolate chips are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Baking: Using two teaspoons, portion about 12 dollops of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them apart. If you prefer more symmetrical cookies, you can shape the dough into balls instead of dollops and slightly flatten them on the baking sheet. I prefer a more homemade look for the cookies.
- Place the cookies in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) until they are nicely golden. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
Almond and sesame cookies
Ingredients (for 30 cookies):
1 egg
40g (1/3 cup) powdered sugar
1/4 cup tahini
300g (3 cups) blanched almonds, thinly sliced
Instructions:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, powdered sugar, and tahini until you get a uniform mixture. Add the sliced almonds and gently and thoroughly mix so that the almond slices are coated without breaking.
- Shape the cookies: Take a tablespoon of the mixture for each cookie and place it on the baking sheet.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius (340 degrees Fahrenheit) for 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden. Allow them to cool and store them in an airtight container for up to a week.
Crunchy cookies without a Mixer
By Moran Gil
Ingredients (for 14 medium-sized cookies):
For the cookie dough:
220g soft butter
180g dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
200g all-purpose flour
100g chopped hazelnuts
150g white chocolate
A handful of halved hazelnuts
A pinch of sea salt
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (340 degrees Fahrenheit). Place parchment paper on baking sheets.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the soft butter and dark brown sugar with a wooden spoon or spatula until you get a uniform mixture.
- Add the egg and mix again. Add the vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, and flour, and mix well until fully incorporated. If it's difficult, you can mix with your hands, although it can get a little messy but very effective.
- Add the chopped hazelnuts and white chocolate to the cookie dough. Mix well with a spatula until fully incorporated.
- Shape the cookie dough into beautiful 3cm diameter circles. Arrange the cookies on the baking sheet, leaving some space between each cookie as they will spread during baking.
- Sprinkle halved hazelnuts on the top of each cookie (if they don't stick, don't worry, just press them gently into the dough) and a pinch of sea salt.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Allow them to cool at room temperature and then store them in an airtight container for three to four days.
Date Balls
By Naomi Rotem, Catering Afaroni Ein Yahav
Ingredients (for 70 balls):
20 Medjool dates
3 tablespoons sugar-free silan (date syrup)
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon raw tahini
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup ground almonds
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Sesame seeds for coating
Instructions:
- Toast the sesame seeds in a pan and in the same pan, lightly roast the almonds.
- Pit the dates and pulse them in a food processor until mashed.
- In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together.
- Place the toasted sesame seeds on a deep plate. Shape small balls (about the size of golf balls) from the mixture and roll them in the sesame seeds.