Shared by Jake Cohen
Shared by Jake Cohen
Hadji Bada (Iraqi Almond Cookies)
Yield: 24 Cookies
Hadji Bada (Iraqi Almond Cookies)
Yield: 24 CookiesFamily Journey
Basra, IraqTehranRamat Gan, Israel
IstanbulBasel, SwitzerlandGainesville, Florida and New York City
BerlinLondonForest Hills, Queens
This recipe was shared by Jake Cohen. Read more about his family in "Building His Own Tradition, Jake Cohen Blends His Ashkenazi Flavors With His Husband’s Mizrahi Family Recipes" and try his recipes for Ghormeh Sabzi Brisket, and Chocolate Chip Walnut Meringues.
Ingredients
- 2 cups finely ground almond flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1 tablespoon rose water, plus more for rolling
- 24 whole raw almonds
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cinnamon, and salt to combine.
Step 3
In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites, sugar, and rose water until foamy. (Note: You’re not making a meringue.) Stir in the almond flour mixture until a smooth dough forms.
Step 4
Fill a small bowl with room-temperature water and add a few drops of rose water, then use this water to wet your hands to prevent sticking as you roll the dough. Roll the dough into tablespoon- size balls and place them on the prepared sheet pans, spacing them 2 inches apart and placing 12 balls on each pan. Push an almond into the center of each ball of dough.
Step 5
Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, for about 15 minutes, until the cookies have spread out and their edges are golden. Let cool completely on the pans, then serve.
Excerpted from JEW-ISH: A COOKBOOK: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch © 2021 by Jake Cohen. Photography © 2021 by Matt Taylor-Gross. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
