Kombe: Hatay-Style Spiced Molded Cookies

Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough, roll them into balls, and flour each one. Flour the inside of the wooden kombe mold and shake off the excess. Place a dough ball in the mold and press it with your palm to fill the pattern. Turn the mold over and tap it firmly once on the counter; the cookie should fall out with its patterned side facing up. If you do not have a mold, flatten the dough by hand and make a pattern with the back of a fork.

Arrange the cookies with space between them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 170°C / 340°F for 25 minutes. They are done when the bottoms are golden and the tops are still pale; if the tops darken, the pattern will disappear. Let them rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. They will crumble if you try to lift them while hot.