Semolina Cookies, a delicious failed experiment

Semolina cookies

Makes about 20 cookies

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 13-15 minutes

Ok, so I've been meaning to make cookies for ages and finally gave in one afternoon when I wasn't quite up to going out. I didn't have much butter and our kitchen is far from fully equipped. The original recipe for semolina cookies is from Recipezaar. 

How I fared:

It was a very delicious disaster, if we base it on what it should look like. I made some conversions  and modified the sweetness somewhat, so the recipe below is the barest-bones recipe. 

I didn't have any vanilla essence so we did without. Nor did I have a pastry brush, so no egg white brushing either. 

The recipe calls for about 4 tablespoons of ground almonds. Instead with our almond stash, I spent about 5 minutes cracking open almonds, put them into plastic bags and started smashing them with the bottom of a cup. When I got tired, I got D to take over.

I also made the the stupidest mistake of not converting the oven setting from °C to °F ... hence the cookies had spread already on the tray when I rushed to reset the oven to the correct setting. 

Taste Verdict:

If you didn't know how these were supposed to look like and you tasted these, you'd say YUM. The smashed almonds gave a nice unexpected crunch. The cookies are buttery with a nice crispiness to them.  Great with a cup of coffee or tea or on top of ice cream.  

Kitchen stuff you need:

mixing bowl

electric mixer

baking tray, 1-2

measuring cups

measuring spoons

flour sifter

fork

pastry brush

You need:

butter, 1/2 cup

granulated sugar, 5 tablespoons
vanilla essence, 1 teaspoon (optional)
plain flour, 1/2 cup
semolina flour, 1/2 cup
almonds, 4-5 tablespoons

For decorating (optional):
almonds
egg white, 1, beaten

What you do:

• Grease baking trays lightly with butter and preheat oven to 180°C (approx. 350°F)
• Cream butter, sugar (and vanilla essence) until light.
• Sift in flour.
• Add in semolina and ground almonds to combine well into a dough.
• Pinch off pieces and roll into small balls and place on prepared trays.
• Press with a fork.
• Brush lightly with egg white and press half almonds in the center of each pressed out dough.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 13-14 minutes or until cookies turn golden.
• Leave on the tray for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Remove onto a wire rock to cool.

For further inspiration, check this out. It makes it look oh-so simple!