Recipe: African Spice Cookies
Feb. 27th, 2026 12:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmith posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
creative_cooksToday I made African Spice Cookies. :D
"African Spice Cookies"
Ingredients:
1/4 cup egusi melon seeds
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala Itty Bitters from Vena's Fizz House
1 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon Xawaash spice mix
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup quick oats
1 cup shredded coconut
Directions:
Measure 1/4 cup egusi melon seeds. Set aside.
Break 1 ripe banana into chunks and mash it. I do this by sealing it inside a plastic bag and squeezing it.
Cut 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) into chunks. Put them in a Pyrex measuring cup or bowl and microwave until melted.
In a large measuring bowl, put 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar.
Pour in the melted butter. Add the mashed banana. Stir together until smooth.
Add 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala Itty Bitters from Vena's Fizz House. Stir to combine.
In a medium measuring bowl, put 1 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour, 1 teaspoon Xawaash spice mix, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Stir to combine.
Add 1 cup quick oats and 1 cup shredded coconut. Stir to combine.
Add the egusi melon seeds. Stir to combine.
Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Stir until evenly mixed.
Set the oven to preheat at 375°F for 10 minutes.
Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator and let it chill for 10 minutes to set the butter so the dough will hold its shape while baking.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop tablespoons of cookie dough onto the sheet, and pat them into an even shape. Cookies will spread a little while baking but not much, so anything that sticks out too much can cause uneven baking.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. When done, edges should be golden-brown and centers set. Allow to cool on the baking sheet, then transfer cookies into a sealed container.
Notes:
These cookies come out soft and chewy in the center with crispy edges. They taste strongly of banana and coconut, accented by the spices. As a foodcookie, they work very well for breakfast or travel.
Egusi melon seeds appear in African cuisine. They are thin and crispy. If you don't have any, you could substitute pepitas or sunflower seeds.
Banana makes the cookies soft and moist, also sweeter. This is one of the dominant flavors in the recipe.
Vena's Fizz House makes Itty Bitters in many flavors. Garam Masala is an indian spice bitter with warm exotic notes. It iincludes alcohol, black peppercorn, cinnamon, coriander, bay leaf, cumin, cardamom, mace, clove, horehound, gentian root, ginger, quassia bark, and mustard seed If you don't have any, you can use all vanilla extract.
Xawaash is an African spice blend warm, woodsy, spicy notes.
Oats come in various forms, of which quick oats work great in baking. They add body and flavor without the toughness that rolled oats can cause in cookies.
Shredded coconut can be sweetened or unsweetened. I used sweetened in this recipe because it's what I had. If you use unsweetened coconut, you might want to increase the sugar.
"African Spice Cookies"
Ingredients:
1/4 cup egusi melon seeds
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala Itty Bitters from Vena's Fizz House
1 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon Xawaash spice mix
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup quick oats
1 cup shredded coconut
Directions:
Measure 1/4 cup egusi melon seeds. Set aside.
Break 1 ripe banana into chunks and mash it. I do this by sealing it inside a plastic bag and squeezing it.
Cut 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) into chunks. Put them in a Pyrex measuring cup or bowl and microwave until melted.
In a large measuring bowl, put 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar.
Pour in the melted butter. Add the mashed banana. Stir together until smooth.
Add 1 egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala Itty Bitters from Vena's Fizz House. Stir to combine.
In a medium measuring bowl, put 1 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour, 1 teaspoon Xawaash spice mix, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Stir to combine.
Add 1 cup quick oats and 1 cup shredded coconut. Stir to combine.
Add the egusi melon seeds. Stir to combine.
Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Stir until evenly mixed.
Set the oven to preheat at 375°F for 10 minutes.
Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator and let it chill for 10 minutes to set the butter so the dough will hold its shape while baking.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop tablespoons of cookie dough onto the sheet, and pat them into an even shape. Cookies will spread a little while baking but not much, so anything that sticks out too much can cause uneven baking.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. When done, edges should be golden-brown and centers set. Allow to cool on the baking sheet, then transfer cookies into a sealed container.
Notes:
These cookies come out soft and chewy in the center with crispy edges. They taste strongly of banana and coconut, accented by the spices. As a foodcookie, they work very well for breakfast or travel.
Egusi melon seeds appear in African cuisine. They are thin and crispy. If you don't have any, you could substitute pepitas or sunflower seeds.
Banana makes the cookies soft and moist, also sweeter. This is one of the dominant flavors in the recipe.
Vena's Fizz House makes Itty Bitters in many flavors. Garam Masala is an indian spice bitter with warm exotic notes. It iincludes alcohol, black peppercorn, cinnamon, coriander, bay leaf, cumin, cardamom, mace, clove, horehound, gentian root, ginger, quassia bark, and mustard seed If you don't have any, you can use all vanilla extract.
Xawaash is an African spice blend warm, woodsy, spicy notes.
Oats come in various forms, of which quick oats work great in baking. They add body and flavor without the toughness that rolled oats can cause in cookies.
Shredded coconut can be sweetened or unsweetened. I used sweetened in this recipe because it's what I had. If you use unsweetened coconut, you might want to increase the sugar.
