For thousands of years, delicious sweets made from honey, dates, nuts and seeds have been a part of the cuisine of the Middle East. Past meets present in this fun, hands-on class by Rahaf Alakbani as she shows you how to make a selection of traditional Syrian cookies based on old family recipes, perfect for sharing over the holidays. She will share stories and songs as you prepare sweets to share in class with a small cup of traditional Arabic coffee or mint tea. You’ll leave with detailed recipes and a few extra treats to take home (if you don’t eat them all!).
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Barazek (برازق)
A classic Middle Eastern cookie famous for its irresistible crunch. Barazek is made from a delicate buttery dough, coated generously with toasted sesame seeds on the top and pistachios on the bottom. Light, crisp, and nutty, barazek are one of the most famous sweets of Damascus, and a popular gift often brought by people visiting from Syria.
Aṣāwer El-Sitt “The Lady’s Bracelets” (أساور الست)
Named after their elegant bracelet-like size & shape, these baklava-type sweets are both beautiful and delicious. Delicate rings of crisp phyllo dough are shaped, filled with pistachio, and baked, then doused with a fragrant sugar syrup.
Ka’ak bil Ma’amoul (كعك بالمعمول)
Ma'moul are traditional date-filled cookies with deep roots in Levantine and Syrian cuisine. Some require special molds, but these are made from a soft semolina-based dough shaped into a log and then formed into rings filled with a sweet, spiced date paste, and then finished with sesame and nigella seeds.
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Cookie Drop
Additional boxes of cookies (12 cookies, 4 of each, $24) are available for purchase for pickup on SUN Dec 14, 10am-12pm or 2:30-4:30pm.
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Rahaf Alakabani hails from Sweida in southwestern Syria. She arrived in Canada in 2016 with her husband Esmaeel Aboufakher, and together they were instrumental in helping co-found Newcomer Kitchen, Nai Syrian Children’s Choir and Haneen Women’s Choir as part of their ongoing work to support their community. Rahaf continues to nurture her twin loves of Syrian cooking and culture in workshops, choirs and concerts across the GTA, sharing songs and recipes passed down from her mother and grandmother. Rahaf and Esmaeel have recently completed their Masters in Arts and Humanities at York while raising their two young children.
@the_rahaf_kitchen | @haneen_choir_ca
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