Flower Cookies (Cicek Kurabiye)

Flower Cookies (Cicek Kurabiye)

1 cup sugar
250 gr (~2 sticks) margarine/butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp cocoa
1 egg
½ tsp baking powder
1 package vanilla/1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cup starch
1 ½ -2 cups flour

In a large bowl combine sugar and soft margarine/butter. Then crack the egg in. Start kneading and add starch, baking powder and vanilla. Then add flour slowly while kneading. Form a soft lump of cookie dough.
Divide ¼ of the dough and add cocoa in it. Knead until the cocoa dissolves and the dough becomes even. Garb hazelnut size pieces and round them in your palms. Continue till both the plain and cocoa dough are used up. Then, place one cacao in the center and 5-6 plain balls around it. Then press gently them to stick together and form a flower.
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and arrange the cookies over an oven tray with parchment paper, making some room between each other. Cook for 15-18 minutes. Make sure they do not get pink. They should remain white. Take them out and cool over a cooling rack.
This recipe makes 25-30 Flower Cookies.