{"id":10808,"date":"2013-05-13T08:49:08","date_gmt":"2013-05-13T15:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/?p=10808"},"modified":"2016-10-13T16:21:41","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T23:21:41","slug":"tasting-jerusalem-hot-cross-buns-in-cookie-form","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailywaffle.com\/stage1\/tasting-jerusalem-hot-cross-buns-in-cookie-form\/","title":{"rendered":"Tasting Jerusalem: Hot Cross Buns in Cookie Form"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

My love for hot cross buns is well documented in the pages of this blog<\/a>. But I only ever seem to think of them around Easter, when really, there\u2019s no reason we shouldn\u2019t be enjoying sweetened yeast buns with just a hint of spice, currants and candied fruit any ol\u2019 time.\u00a0 Which is what made these Spice Cookies my first choice for this month\u2019s baking theme for Tasting Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

You get the flavors of hot cross buns, the spice, the currants, the citrus in cookie form. And while it may seem slightly odd to be making spice cookies in the spring, because the truth is they do<\/em> taste like the holidays, I couldn\u2019t resist.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"ottolenghi<\/a><\/p>\n

Ottolenghi and Tamimi aren\u2019t content to simply make this a spice cookie in the strictest sense, the recipe adds a touch of cocoa powder and a goodly amount of chopped chocolate. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I don’t think it really needs it! Maybe I’m a hot cross bun purist at heart.<\/p>\n

One tip, form all the dough balls before chilling the dough for an hour. Without the room in the fridge to chill two cookie sheets, I did enough to fill the first sheet and then left the rest of the dough in the mixing bowl, figuring I\u2019d just roll the rest when I was ready to put them into the oven.<\/p>\n

It works, but it takes a little more rolling and the heat from your hands to form them, somewhat defeating the purpose of chilling in the first place.<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t gotten on board with Tasting Jerusalem yet, the baked goods would be a great place to start. With hosts Beth and Sarene, we\u2019re having a great time as a \u00a0<\/i>virtual cooking community exploring the vibrant flavors and cuisine of the Middle East through the lens of\u00a0\u201cJerusalem: A Cookbook\u201d<\/a>\u00a0by Ottolenghi and Tamimi published by Ten Speed Press. \u00a0More info on this month\u2019s theme is at OMGYummy<\/a>\u00a0and you can check out the action from the last few months on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With the spice cookies done, there’s still lots to bake. \u00a0I\u2019m eyeing the krantz cake and the semolina coconut loaf.<\/p>\n

\"ottolenghi<\/a><\/p>\n

Reprinted with permission from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, copyright \u00a9 2012. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.<\/em><\/p>\n

\t\r\n\t

\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i> Print Recipe<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Spice Cookies<\/h2>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t

Ingredients<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t