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The best Traditional Authentic Ottijiet Cookies - Maltese sesame seed cookies

These Crispy, crunchy golden brown Maltese Ottijiet cookies are just the right amount of sweet without being too sweet, crunchy without being too crispy, crumbly without falling apart, and were made to dip into your afternoon tea. They are a healthy-ish alternative to regular cookies, deliciously dunked in coffee, and a must serve at tea parties. The best Traditional Authentic Ottijiet cookies also known as Maltese sesame cookies are a dry, crunchy, and crumbly without falling apart cookie that belongs on every tea table. These lemony spicy shortbread cookies are a golden plethora of deliciousness, from the crunchy texture to the mild sweetness accompanied by the nutty sesame seeds. It’s a cookie recipe with a difference. Munchyesta.com
These Crispy, crunchy golden brown Maltese Ottijiet cookies are just the right amount of sweet without being too sweet, crunchy without being too crispy, crumbly without falling apart, and were made to dip into your afternoon tea. They are a healthy-ish alternative to regular cookies, deliciously dunked in coffee, and a must serve at tea parties.
The best Traditional Authentic Ottijiet cookies also known as Maltese sesame cookies are a dry, crunchy, and crumbly without falling apart cookie that belongs on every tea table. These lemony spicy shortbread cookies are a golden plethora of deliciousness, from the crunchy texture to the mild sweetness accompanied by the nutty sesame seeds. It’s a cookie recipe with a difference. 
Simone - Munchyesta.com
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Serving Size 16 Cookies

Equipment

  • 2 large baking sheets lined with baking paper 

Ingredients

  • 1½cups+1tbsp 250g Self-Raising Flour
  • ¼ tsp Aniseed Ground
  • ½ tsp Cloves Finely Ground
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • ⅜ cup 85g, (3oz) Cold Butter Cubed
  • ⅓ cup 85g (2½oz) Golden Caster Sugar
  • Finely grated Zest from 1 Orange
  • Finely Grated Zest from 1 Lemon
  • 1 tbsp Orange Juice
  • Juice from ½ Lemon
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 medium Egg
  • 2 tbsp Milk to brush on top
  • 5 tbsp Sesame Seeds

Instructions

  • Put the flour, cubed butter, salt, and spices into a food processor and pulse until it forms a crumbly dough. Add the egg, orange juice, and lemon juice to the dough and pulse a few times until it just forms a smooth dough.
  • Remove the from the food processor and use your hands to knead it for a moment until it is a smooth dough.
    Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover it. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 30-minutes to 1 hour (30-minutes minimum, but I like to chill the dough for closer to 1 hour if I have the time).
  • Preheat oven to 400F 180C/fan /gas 6 and roll the dough out into a rectangle 1/2” thick or so. Cut the dough into 16 pieces and roll each slice into long sausages. Twist the dough strings into the shape of the number 8 and press the ends lightly together to seal tight.
  • Place the cookies on the lined baking sheet. Brush the cookies with milk and generously sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
    Chill the cookies in the refrigerator for 15-minutes if you want an extra light and crispy cookie at this point.
  • Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are golden on the outside. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely before eating.