Egyptian Sesame Cookies (Semsemia)

When reading the GiA (Guiding in Australia July Vol 18 no 6 this is what we were told:
Egyptian recipes often utilise lentils, chick peas and other pulses. Lamb is the basic meat used. Vegetables are popular and garlic is an important ingredient in many Egyptian dishes. Citrus fruits, peaches, pomegranates, grapes, melons and bananas are locally grown. You might like to try this easy Egyptian dessert recipe in your Unit.

We then had to work out the weights and measurements- and we cheated here as we had an old lb/oz and metric weighting scale. The Guides and I just converted it from one side to the other. Then they had to weight everything twice. The conversion was more fun at one stage that the cooking. Then of course came the talk about very hot substances, the crackle and pop test and general cooking safety.

Someone did get over anxious with the peanut butter a few years later when we retried the recipe. Very sticky they were. And they stuck to the top if the mouth with too much peanut butter.


Sesame Cookies (Semsemia)
A tasty dessert. You can increase the peanut butter a little to
make it softer and more appealing to kids. Too much peanut
butter, however, makes the cookies too soft to handle.
Ingredients
1 Ib. ( 475 grams) sesame seeds 8 oz. honey (225grams)
3 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon rose water 1 teaspoon cardamom
1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped

Method
Brown sesame seeds slightly in the oven or on the stove top. Set aside. Mix hiney, peanut butter, rose water and caramon in a saucepan. Cook on a low heat until it bubbles. Stir in the seasame and the walnuts. Spread in a greased 9 x 14 inch [23 x 32cm] (or similar size) pan to cool. To serve, cut into diamond shapes.