These traditional Syrian-style Barazek cookies are famous for their unique two-faced design: dipped in toasted sesame seeds on their top side and studded with pistachios on the bottom side. They offer a buttery, golden snap, and their nutty and slightly sweet flavour make them a perfect treat with a cup of coffee or tea. While they look intricate, my homemade version simplifies the process, giving you that authentic, bakery-style cookie right at home.

A close-up of round cookies topped with either sesame seeds or chopped pistachios, arranged overlapping on a light blue surface.

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Light and Crispy Syrian Cookies

Barazek are the cookies I grew up watching my parents take to friends and family as a gift when invited to dinners. They were always small, and layered in neat circular rows in a cookie tin. Their light and crispy texture makes you grab one after another, before realizing you’ve polished off half the row.

Now I’m not much of a cookie person, and when in need, I often resort to my traditional Iraqi-style cardamom shortbread. But if I do have a bit of extra time and a bag of pistachios to use up, I make barazek.

Let’s Make Barazek Cookies

Grab your ingredients. Here are a few notes:

  • Ghee is used in barazek instead of butter, which is the main reason they will have a crispy and crunchy texture. The ghee also lends a richer, nuttier flavour.
  • If you’re not using a scale for the flour, make sure you spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off flat to avoid over-measuring the flour, which will alter the texture of the cookies.
  • The sesame seeds should be lightly toasted before you press the cookies into them. You can buy roasted sesame seeds, but if you can’t find them, simply toast them on medium low heat in a large skillet, stirring often, just until lightly golden (it should take 5-7 minutes).
A top-down view of bowls containing labeled ingredients: pistachios, sesame seeds, water, ghee, flour, sugar, and honey, all arranged on a blue surface.

Tip: using your hands to work the ghee into the flour ensures all the flour is saturated with ghee; you’ll get a “wet sand” texture.

A white bowl containing a pile of white flour and a dollop of yellow ghee or butter, set on a light blue surface.
Mix flour and ghee.
A hand wearing a black glove holds a crumbly mixture over a white bowl filled with more of the same mixture, set against a light blue background.
Add water and sugar and gently fold into dough.
A ball of dough sits in a large white bowl covered with plastic wrap, placed on a light blue surface.
Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

Next, prepare the sesame and pistachio.

A small white bowl filled with chopped pistachios sits on a light blue surface. The pistachios are green and brown, and the bowl casts a faint shadow.
Pistachios should be roughly chopped.
A white spoon holding a heap of sesame seeds above a bowl filled with more sesame seeds, set against a light blue background.
The toasted sesame seeds are mixed with honey and water to create a sticky mixture.

Divide the dough into 30 even sized cookie dough balls. I use 1 tablespoon to equally portion the dough.

Three plates on a blue background: one with crumbled mixture, one with whole pistachios around a flat dough disc, and one with round dough balls ready for baking or decorating.
Dip the the cookie ball into the pistachios.
Twelve round, crumb-coated cookies are evenly spaced on a parchment-lined baking sheet with a blue edge, ready to be baked.
Then dip the other side into the sesame seed mixture and slightly flatten it. Place on a sheet pan.

Bake the barazek at 350F for about 20 minutes, or just until the edges are golden. Ensure they cool completely to crisp up before serving.

A stack of four sesame-coated cookies sits on a small white plate atop a wooden surface, with a blurred background featuring a glass of tea and a brass pot.

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A stack of four sesame-coated cookies sits on a small white plate atop a wooden surface, with a blurred background featuring a glass of tea and a brass pot.
5 from 1 rating

Barazek (Pistachio and Sesame Cookies)

Yield: 30 Cookies
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 50 minutes
Author: Amina Al-Saigh
These Syrian cookies are crispy and nutty with a slightly sweet flavour. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee!
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Ingredients
 

For the Dough

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, 240 grams
  • 1/2 cup ghee, room temperature, 113 grams
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 100 grams
  • 1/4 cup water, cold

For the Coating

  • 1 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted, 100 grams
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon water

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, mix the 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup ghee with your hands until the flour is fully coated and the dough is compact when pressed.
  • Add the 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water and gently fold in the liquid to avoid developing too much gluten which will result in a tough cookie. The dough will come together in about 2 minutes. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Place the 1 cup pistachios on a plate and set aside. On another plate, combine the 1 cup sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 tablespoon water, mixing until you get a sticky consistency.
  • Preheat the oven to 350℉.
  • Remove the dough from the fridge. Using a tablespoon, scoop the dough into 30 small balls. Press each ball lightly into the chopped pistachio to coat. Then, flip the dough ball and gently flatten it into the sesame mixture, pressing lightly to form a thin cookie without cracking. Ensure the cookie is fully coated in the sesame mixture.
  • Place the flattened cookies, sesame side up, on parchment paper, spacing them about 2 cm apart. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pan if necessary. The cookies are done once the edges turn golden brown.
  • Allow the barazek to cool completely before serving, as they will crisp up. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Notes

  • If butter is used instead of ghee, the cookies will slightly differ in texture and taste, as butter contains some liquid which will make the cookies a bit less crispy.
  • Try to achieve a very thin cookie when pressing into the coating but be careful not to crack it.
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 123kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 1mg, Potassium: 75mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 17IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 54mg, Iron: 1mg
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