By Humaira
I’m not a baker. My daughter Sofia does all the baking in our house.
Kulch e Birinji is an Afghan rice flour & pistachio butter cookie which is so easy to make that even an unskillful baker like me can make them. These cookies are light and flaky with a little bit of a crunch from the ground pistachios. Best of all, they are gluten-free.
In Afghanistan, these cookies are also called Kulch e Nowrozee, which translates to ‘new year cookie’ and are made at the end of March when Afghans celebrate Nowroz, New Year. The recipe is very much the same except that bright green food coloring is used to make a plus shape design in the center of the cookies for a festive holiday look.
Since these are originally a holiday cookie, I thought a batch of them would make a unique gift for whatever holiday you celebrate. So, get out the rice flour, sugar, butter, egg whites, cardamom, and pistachios and make some of these cookies for Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid or Nowroz. They make great gifts in a tin box or you can enjoy them with a cup of tea. This recipe can easily be doubled.
I would love to hear about your family’s holiday traditions. Your stories are welcome in the comment section of this blog.
Kulche e Birinji
Afghan Rice Flour and Pistachio Butter Cookies
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened to room temperature
3/4 cup cane sugar or coconut sugar
2 egg whites
2 cups white rice flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachios (you can leave out if you don't like nuts)
1/4 cup shelled whole pistachios
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the egg whites and mix until smooth. Gradually add the rice flour, cardamom, and pistachios (if you choose to use them). Mix well.
Scoop up a tablespoon of dough and set on a cookie sheet (ungreased is ok). Flatten the dough with the palm of your hand. The cookie will not rise or spread during cooking. Next, press the back of a fork into the dough, making a criss-cross with the tines of the fork (like you would with a peanut butter cookie). If the fork begins to stick, dip it in a glass of cold water from time to time. Place a pistachio in the center of the cookie.
Continue with the remainder of the dough, setting the cookies 1 ½ inch apart.
Bake for 12-14 minutes. Let it cool before eating.
Makes around two dozen cookies.