They were giggling like children…
Sally and I met while working together in North Lebanon, and when I think of her, I recall someone who is confident, collected, incredibly clever and kind. When I approached her about the blog, she came back to me with a beautiful story, one you can easily visualize – the family laughing, perhaps with flour covering their aprons and hands, the sheer amount of biscuits strewn on any and all surfaces around the home, and the running family joke whenever the Kaak Maajoun made an appearance at the table. Depending where you are in Lebanon this biscuit might be called by a different name, Kaak Haleeb (Milk Cookie), Kaak Abbas, Mrakad…but regardless of its name, you can’t help but want to make a few batches of this delectable cookie to share with family, friends, and hey, why not even foes.
The story is testament to the way memory and sheer joy can be associated with food. Nostalgia can sweeten any dessert, add flavour to any savoury dish.
With all the thanks to Sally and her family for sharing this story, recipe and photos with the Feasting Hearts community.
Sweet Teta
I came back once from university one weekend, and my mom’s house had a nice smell seeping from it. As soon as I opened the door, the smell of butter and this heat just engulfed me. I saw mom, my only aunt (her sister) and my grandma (whom I have been really missing for a couple of months now) covered in flour and buttery hands.
There was a huge table in the entrance covered with a type of sweet biscuit, Kaak Maajoun, which are circle shaped and have these intricate designs made from the biscuit press. Some were big, some were small, but there were so many they even had some on the stairs. They were giggling like children, apparently they made enough to feed the whole family! We gave to everyone and I think we kept eating them for two months, even sending some to my brothers in the United Arab Emirates. I am not a fan of this sweet (really any sweet in general) but I will never forget how they were together and happy.
Remembering Teta
The prettiest biscuit mold, for Kaak Maajoun
A few of many
Kaak Maajoun
Ingredients
4 cups of flour
200 g melted butter
2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup to 2 cups of milk powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp mahlab*
1/2 tsp schumer**
1 tsp instant yeast
2 cups of milk for kneading (might need more)
Anis seeds optional for taste
Method:
Mix all dry ingredients, then add the butter and knead and slowly add the dry milk. You might not need the full 2 cups of dry milk or you might need a bit more.
When the dough is not sticking to the surface, you can begin molding and baking. If you have a Kaak Maajoun mold, do be sure to dust it with enough flour so the batter does not stick. However, if you do not have this type of mold, you can get creative with a burger press, or even just shape flat with your hands and fork the edges to make a design.
Bake for 15 min or until golden at 170 C
Enjoy with family, advised to make enough to feed your extended family and entire neighbourhood 😊
*small pit of a wild sour cherry used in Middle Eastern cooking, but if you cannot find it you can substitute with other spices such as cardomon, almond extract, star anise, and fennel (even a combination to suit your tastes
**could be similar to fennel spice, but neither Sally nor myself are entirely sure – doesn’t hurt to try!