Middle Eastern Flavors Archives - Around the World in 180 Flavors

Picture of Coffee Cookies with Rosewater and Cardamom

Coffee Cookies with Rose and Cardamom

September 1, 2026 0 comments

These coffee, cardamom, and rose cookies began—as several of my cookies do—with a conversation. Yasser and I were talking about coffee and the flavors in my current latte. He said he wanted one, and quickly revised it to needing one! That sealed the deal–it had to become a cookie, especially […]

Date Anise Cookies: A Soft and Fragrant Cookie Recipe

June 6, 2026 Comments are Disabled

There is so much to say about the person who inspired this flavor, and so much to say about where she comes from. This cookie flavor began four years ago at a conference, of all places. It was a conference about international exchange and intercultural understanding, and the keynote speaker […]

Jameed Cookie Recipe: A Sweet and Savory Jordanian-Inspired Cookie

January 2, 2026 Comments are Disabled

This cookie is difficult to define. It has a tangy, lemony, salty flavor, yet I still struggle to put into words what jameed actually tastes like. I have eaten it straight, without any modification, and the overwhelming flavor was salt. However, I can also say this: when I brought these […]

Savory-Sweet Za’atar Olive Oil Cookies for Hanukkah

December 20, 2025 Comments are Disabled

I had every intention of dropping this cookie on the first day of Hanukkah. But life got in the way. At least I got it out before Hanukkah was over. Za’atar has never been one of my favorite spices, but honestly, many of my best cookie recipes begin that way—with […]

The Perfect Pair: Salted Pistachio and Tahini Cookies with a Raspberry and Cardamom Glaze

November 7, 2025 Comments are Disabled

I didn’t know Duru quite as long as some of the other exchange students, but I was immediately inspired by her intelligence, her commitment to global citizenship, and her insistence on a specific flavor challenge: not just pistachio, and not just tahini—but both. This combination is a true reflection of […]

Rich, Smooth, and Perfectly Caffeinated: The Espresso Cookie Recipe You Need

October 19, 2025 Comments are Disabled

Ah, espresso. For most of my life, I was a devoted tea drinker. Coffee was just a rare exception—a staple with breakfast when I visited France, for instance. My perspective changed completely when we hosted Andrea, our first exchange student. On our initial chat, I confessed, “I don’t like coffee—or […]