Raspberry Poppy Seed Chamomile Cookies

Plus a little about my job and a special upcoming cookbook!

Hey ya’ll!

This past month has been a month, let me tell you. It feels like the gears of a huge machine just shook off their rust and i’m already alarmed at how quickly the summer has gotten off to a spinning start. There are so many dinners, pop ups, and summer food events showing up in my instagram feed just in the last week, it’s hard to keep up. One event happening next week that I’ve been waiting for with much anticipation and that i’d like to tell you a little more about is the release of a special cookbook.

My friend and boss Edy Massih’s debut cookbook releases on May 21st. Edy is the owner of Edy’s Grocer in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The book not only tells the story of Edy’s childhood in Lebanon and his journey to the United States but also shares so many of the delicious dishes he grew up eating that we now make at work. If you’ve never been, Edy’s Grocer is your one stop shop for Lebanese pantry staples and grab-and-go mezze. We also have a menu of lunch items inspired by middle eastern fare and NYC deli classics. (think bacon egg and cheese burritos with fried halloumi sticks, served with spicy harissa tahini)

I started working at the Grocer when I moved to the city last May. By that point, most of the work on the book was wrapping up and it was heading into rounds of edits and cover photo negotiations. I got to see the early versions of many of the pages and even contributed some helpful edits at Edy’s request. As a lover of cookbooks, it’s been really fascinating to see and hear behind the scenes of how a book is brought to life. It truly takes a whole team and requires a tremendous level of passion and time investment to meet each deadline and push through many design changes.

Photo by Kelsey Cherry ( @kelseycherry )

At the Grocer I’m the resident baker who also helps cook food, prep mezze ingredients, pack and send deliveries, and cater events across the city. It’s a dynamic position that keeps me on my toes both literally and creatively. I appreciate that every week looks a little different and as someone who enjoys recipe development, I enjoy working with Edy and our head chef Mila to put new pastries in the case every month. We pull from Edy’s Lebanese heritage for inspiration when it comes to flavors and we also try to respond to what our regular customers might want from a neighborhood spot. Greenpoint is both a bustling neighborhood and a tight knit community of establishment regulars.

Halva, Raspberry, and Rose Cookie for Mother’s Day at Edy’s Grocer

The Polish grocery stores and pastry shops that I’ve been exploring while working in Greenpoint this past year must have subconsciously inspired this raspberry poppy seed chamomile cookie. It’s hard to find a pastry that doesn’t feature at least one of these flavors and I love the idea of bringing them all together in one cookie. It may look complicated but this marbled cookie is quite easy to mix and bake and the cookies stay soft for days.

A few notes…

• Freeze dried fruits are showing up more and more in grocery stores. They’re great for baking if you’re concerned about controlling the amount of liquid you’re adding to a recipe but be cautious - they’re a very thirsty ingredient. They’ll quickly wick the moisture away from other ingredients and become gummy.

• Cream cheese in a cookie creates a super soft texture with a slight tangy finish. In this recipe it also helps to mellow the tartness of the raspberries. Starting with your butter and cream cheese at the same temperature will help them mix together more easily!

• I love the bitter nuttiness of poppyseeds. There are several “bright” flavors in this cookie but the poppyseeds provide a darker grounded contrast. They also serve as a welcome toothiness against the plush texture of the cookie.

Raspberry Poppy Seed Chamomile Cookies

makes 12-14 cookies

171g unsalted butter, room temperature

56g cream cheese, room temperature

225g white sugar

50g light brown sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons dried chamomile (from dried flowers or packet of chamomile tea)

360g all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoons poppyseeds

20g freeze dried raspberries, finely ground (I push the raspberries through a metal sieve or use a food processor)

1. Preheat your oven to 350F with a rack in the middle position. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, cream cheese, both sugars, and the dried chamomile until completely mixed and fluffy. Speed 3 to 4 (on a KitchenAid) for about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl halfway and at the end.

3. While the mixer is going, weigh your flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder into a medium sized bowl. Whisk together to combine, set aside.

4. Reduce the mixer to low speed and add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl in between. Stop the mixer and pour in the flour mixture. Pulse the mixer to incorporate the flour without slinging the mixture out of the bowl. Stop right after the last of the dry flour disappears. Add the poppyseeds and mix for 5 to 10 seconds just to evenly disperse the seeds into the batter.

5. In a small bowl, combine the powdered freeze dried raspberries with 1 tablespoon room temp water. Mix to hydrate the dried fruit into a paste.

6. Remove about half of the dough from the mixer bowl into the bowl that held the flour. Use a rubber spatula to stir the raspberry paste into this half of the dough thoroughly until the it is dyed completely pink. Use the spatula to dollop big scoops of the raspberry dough back into the bowl of plain dough. Swirl the dough to barely mix the two together. You want the mixture to look marbled, undermix to avoid overmixing.

7. Using a 2 to 3 tablespoon scoop, portion out the dough into 12 to 14 mounds. Your cookies will have a slightly rougher texture as scooped, to avoid this and create smoother cookies post-bake use your hands to roll the scooped cookies into round balls.

8. Place the cookies 2 to 3 inches apart on the prepared pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. You might need a second pan or a second round of baking to bake all of the cookies. The finished cookies with be puffy but firm with just a little golden color around the bottom edge. Let the cookies cool completely on the pan or move to a cooling rack after 15 minutes. Enjoy!