The Nader Family Legend of Tootie Cookies

Charlotte’s tray of Tootie Cookies

The Legend

Tootie Cookies have been a legendary part of growing up Nader. We believe that most Lebanese people refer to the cookies as sambusik, but recipes in Levantine cookbooks don’t match up with the family recipe. So I think “Tootie Cookies” is the most fitting name.

Tootie, christened Marie Louise Nader, spent most of her life reading, drawing, teaching, traveling, and generally not spending much time in the kitchen. From an early age, her mother Emilie shooed Louise out of the kitchen when Emilie was cooking. Louise maintained her distance from the stove for as long as possible.

Louise in Egypt

Emilie’s kitchen was the first U.S. home of the now famous Tootie Cookies. Our childhood visits to 588 E. Market began with a kiss for Grandma Nader. Then we made a beeline to the bottom right-hand cupboard with the big glass jar that stored…Tootie Cookies! We would be happy to find either the nut- or date-filled variety. The nut cookies were in the shape of a lovely pillowy crescent, coated in powdered sugar, and sure to leave telltale signs of having snitched one or more. My favorite, the date-filled cookies, were tight little cylinders of rich pastry around an even richer filling of sweet dates. 

For all the times I ate those wonderful cookies, I don’t recall that Mom (Louise) or I ever made them with Grandma. She would let me watch her sear off chunks of beef, or trim a lamb steak. But only the most careful hands could be trusted with rolling out the dough, destined to be tough or flaky, depending on the abilities of the pastry chef.

So the point is, Louise never made Tootie Cookies until well into retirement. And even though she never made a habit of unnecessary cooking, Tootie’s cookies were wonderful – flaky, rich, with just enough crunch to be absolutely satisfying in the mouth and in your imagination. Tootie must have started making them after Grandma Nader left this world.

It turned out that not only did kids crave Tootie Cookies, but so did grown-up Naders – Paul, Bob and Joe all waited eagerly for their annual tin of Tootie Cookies. They would parcel them out, to make the cookies last as long as possible. Because they knew, too, that Tootie Cookies don’t just pop out of the oven. There must be drama, excitement, anticipation, and most of all, powdered sugar everywhere!

Tootie was a teacher to the core, so unlike her mother, she was happy to share baking secrets with whoever was interested. Of course there was her daughter, but daughter-in-law Charlotte, a great cook and baker in her own right, was an eager participant in the cookie business. Charlotte’s cookies were perfectly shaped and perfectly delicious.  Tootie made cookies for her family until the last year of her life. And in tribute to the love baked into every bite of those cookies, her brother Bob kept the last tin of Tootie Cookies that Louise had given him, for the remainder of his life. 

The tradition goes on. Claudia, Charlotte, Amy, Curtis – his specialty is gluten-free Tootie Cookies. The Nader Family lives, bakes, eats, shares, loves.

Amy and Claudia finishing baking Tootie Cookies

Preheat oven to 350F

Combine

6 cups flour – all purpose

1 cup powdered sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1 pound unsalted butter – room temperature

¾ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 small egg

Nut filling

½ tsp vanilla

2 cups chopped nuts – walnuts or pistachios

¾ cup sugar

Roll the dough on powdered sugar, not flour, gently, to 1/8” – 1/4” thickness

Cut into circles; add about 1 tsp of nut filling

Fold over dough to form crescent shape.

Place on ungreased cookie sheets

Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, until bottom is lightly browned.

Let cool, then cover in powdered sugar. Store in glass jars, tins, or time capsules for up to 30 years.