Today I found a recipe on the New York Times website for Pepper-Cumin cookies and just had to try them. Part of the motivation to try thee out (besides the obvious) is the black pepper Raz's mother uses. It is absolutely enveloping in fragrance and taste; briefly opening the spice cupboard fills the kitchen with its warm rich scent.  I figured if the cookies were half as good as they sounded the pepper here could only make them that much better.

The original recipe can be found on the New York Times website. Here's my own variation:

Pepper-Cumin Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons sugar (3 Tbs raw sugar 3 Tbs granulated sugar)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked (I used a more finely ground pepper and will probably try 1 1/2 or 2 teaspoons next time I make these)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, cracked (I'll also try putting more in next time)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened slightly and cut into pieces
• 1/4-1/3 c olive oil (I didn't measure this, I just drizzles oil into the mixture until it was almost the right consistency)
• 1-2 Tbs water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter, lemon zest, and sugar. Mix Flour, Salt, Pepper, and Cumin. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Dough should be dry and corse. Continue mixing while drizzling olive oil into the dough until it comes together when you form a ball, the dough should still be a bit dry. add more oil, or the 1-2 Tbs of water till the dough is soft, but not wet. 

2.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place them 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets and flatten each cookie with the palm of your hand. Bake until lightly browned, rotating the trays every 15 minutes. Remove from the tray and place them on a rack to cool. takes around 30 min. 

YIELD

30 cookies

I loved how these cookies turned out! Next time I'll be using more of the spices to make a richer flavor, but they're wonderful as is. Thanks New York Times!