Cumin Cookies

Being brought up in a home where both the parents are working has its perks. On top of my mind I can list down a few (though the list can be endless)

1. You become "fiercely" independent - specially if you are the older of the siblings

2. You can watch as much television as you want 'coz most of the time there is no one to keep a check

3. You learn to prioritise - not everything can be as important as "Scooby Doo" but mom won't be around to help with the homework either. So yeah... you learn the importance of taking responsibility...

4. ...implying... you become responsible 

5. You learn to enjoy your own company quite a bit - not a lot of people learn to do that ever in their lifetimes

6. You develop some very productive hobbies - in my case it would be my love of cooking and reading. I also became a cleanliness freak...cleaning up the home to welcome my parents back home was a daily ritual (which my sister did not participate in at all :P )

7. You appreciate the time you spend with your parents. The fact that you wait till evening to meet them never lets you take them for granted

8. But most important of all - there is no one to question you on your food choices. I remember having lunches that comprised only biscuits and cookies - I mean packets after packets. And somehow I always managed to get by. There were occasions when I was scolded severely, not to mention I was also blackmailed about having wasted food ... but that did little to deter my single minded love for biscuits.  

Whenever my memory drifts to those times, which is quite often, I somehow always think of these particular cumin biscuits that dad used to get from the bakery. So recently, when I landed on the recipe for the perfect cookie base with which I made the Jam Cookies, I also tried my hands on the cumin cookies using the same dough. 

If I say they tasted beautiful, I would by lying - they are a bundle of nostalgia that explodes in your mouth and warms your heart...bite by bite. The warm notes of cumin permeate your soul and transport you to the good old days when the biggest worry was getting the homework done and when you believed that fairies played in your garden at night...

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder
140 gm unsalted butter - at room temperature
120 gm powdered sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
1 -2 tbs milk (if needed)

2 tbs cumin seeds

HOW TO:

Sieve the baking powder, flour and salt together.

Use an electric beater to mix together the butter, sugar and vanilla essence till they are light and fluffy.

Add flour to the mixture and gather together gently to make a dough. Add milk if too dry.

Keep in the fridge covered for 15 minutes if it is too sticky.

Next roll the dough 1/8th of an inch thickness.

Sprinkle the cumin seeds over the dough and cut into squares.

Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet an inch apart to allow for baking. 

They need 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius, till the cookies are light golden. 

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack before eating.