Nan-e Nokhodchi (Roasted Chickpea Cookies)

Materials:

• 1/2 c. canola oil
• 3/4 c. confectioner's sugar (not packed when measured)
• 2 tsp. finely ground cardamom (green pods!)
• 1-1/2 tsp. rose water
• 2-1/4 c. fine, roasted chickpea flour, sifted (not packed when measured)
• unsalted pistachios, slivered or chopped

Methods:

1. Combine oil, sugar, cardamom, and rose water in a bowl and mix until white and creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add chickpea flour all at once, and mix for one minute until dough is combined and no longer sticky.
3. Dust work surface with chickpea flour, and knead dough my hand for about 2 minutes.
4. Flatten dough into a square about 3/4" thick.
5. Transfer to a piece of plastic wrap or parchment and cool in refrigerator for 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 300F.
7. Unwrap dough and use either a small cookie cutter to cut out cookies (traditionally a tine four leaf clover about 3/4" wide) or cut into small ~3/4" squares.
8. Transfer cookies to non-stick cookie sheet or pan lined with parchment, leaving ~1" between cookies.
9. Decorate each cookie with pistachio pieces, pressing nuts into the dough slightly.
10. Place sheet in the middle of the oven.
11. Bake ~25-30 minutes, or until cookie bottoms are lightly browned.
12. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool.

Notes:

The cookies are traditionally served during Persian New Year. Miss Neda Bagheri introduced them to me at her lovely little New Year's gathering in early 2010, and I was set to make some of my own ever since! It ended up taking me nearly three months to gather everything together. I think I checked about 6 grocery stores for chickpea flour before finding it at Market basket in Salem, of all places. The hunt for cardamom that wasn't $14 a bottle brought me to many an indian grocery store, in which I mistakenly picked up black cardamom pods first, and have yet to find a recipe to try them out with (suggestions anyone?). Finally we 'discovered' some green pods in the back of the pantry (makes me wonder what else is in there) as well as a coffee grinder that had been lost behind other neglected kitchen appliances. The last few ingredients were procured on a little adventure to whole foods last night, a store I should never ever be allowed to live near, as I will eat myself poor. Alas, I finally made the wonderful little cookies, and boy, were they worth it. A unique little not-too-sweet treat.