Cookie Monster: Absinthe Cookies

[Photograph: Carrie Vasios]

This year my Halloween costume was a bit of a bust. I dressed up as the Green Fairy, intending for people to make the connection between the Green Fairy, which is a nickname for Absinthe, and my boyfriend's costume as a 19th century, bohemian French painter. Everyone thought I was Tinkerbell.

On the positive side, I was left with a bottle of absinthe which we had bought to "add authenticity" to our costumes. Absinthe has a licorice flavor, which, added to the strong burn of 124 proof liquor, means it's not everyone's cup of highly alcoholic tea. I'll keep the bottle in our bar for novelty's sake. (Over the course of a night of explaining my costume, I got into quite a few conversations about absinthe, and learned that its forbidden allure is still strong.) But I figured no one would mind if I used a little to bake.

These cookies are very loosely based off of a type of Greek sesame cookie that is baked with olive oil. The olive oil adds a fruity note that is complimented by the herbal taste of the absinthe.

They are a little crumbly and not overly sweet. Don't skip the sesame seeds—their savory, crunchy nature rounds out the cookie. Like anise flavored biscotti, they are a nice treat to have as a post-meal digestive. And hey, these cookies might not make you see the Green Fairy, but it's worth a shot.

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Absinthe Cookies »

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