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Fennel-Sesame Cookies with Pomegranate Molasses

I was bored with my usual cookie recipes, and Bracha said, how about making a cookie that combines fennel and sesame?  And maybe pomegranate too?  
They're crisp and spicy and rather addictive.


If you mill the wheat yourself:
   
Mill these together:
375 grams of soft white wheat     
75 grams of short grain brown rice or sweet rice      
4 teaspoons fennel seeds
6 cloves

OR, if you do not mill the wheat directly....
375 grams soft wheat pastry flour plus 75 grams rice flour or 450 grams of unbleached all purpose flour, about 3 cups
1 tablespoon ground fennel
1/4 teaspoon clove powder
 
Whisk into the flour mixture and set aside:

1 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/3 cup pomegranate molasses
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon lemon oil or the zest of 2 lemons
1 egg
2 tablespoons water

2/3 C sugar

Beat the molasses and oils together with the egg and water.  Beat in the sugar until smooth.  Stir in the flour just until the mixture is smooth.  It should be a fairly stiff dough.  You can proceed or chill the dough until you're ready for the next step.

Roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick.  If you roll it out by thirds you should get a rectangle about 10x18 inches or so.

Cut with your favorite cutter or just draw a knife through it to make diamonds or squares.  Place on parchment or silicone lined or lightly greased baking sheets.  Bake at 370 degrees about 10 minutes.  

For the crispest but scorch-free cookies, turn the oven off at the end of baking.  When it cools down to 250 degrees, return the cookies to the oven and let them remain until it is completely cool OR set them in a 150 degree oven for an hour or two.  

This cool, slow baking phase will crisp the interiors without scorching edges or thin spots.  


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