Combine honey, molasses, brown sugar, and butter; put on medium heat and stir until the mixture becomes homogeneous (a minute or two). Remove from heat. Black syrup (molasses) is very popular in Arab countries. In Egypt, “black honey” can be found on the shelves of even the smallest shops, and certainly in any home. I’m not sure what can replace molasses – it has a special taste, gives a unique smell and color to baked goods, but I think you can just take honey instead.
Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coconut). According to the recipe, you need to take coconut powder, but I have not seen such a product, so I chopped the coconut flakes with a spice grinder. It turned out to be an oily crumb. I strongly advise you to do this so that the coconut chips are not harsh in the cookies.
Add lemon zest (to your liking; I never add), chopped almonds (I chop very finely, into crumbs), cooled honey mass, and an egg.
Knead the dough. When it has a soft, pleasant structure and does not stick to your hands, then the dough is ready.
Form small balls, cubes, pyramids (whatever you want, the dough is very pliable), place them on a baking sheet lined with oiled parchment paper. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 10-15 minutes (look at your oven and the size of the cookies, my cookies are very small, baked for 9-10 minutes).
Once the cookies are completely cool, you can decorate them with chocolate, as is usually done in Arab countries, but it seems to me that these cookies are wonderful in themselves, and the chocolate only interrupts its original taste.
These soft cookies will envelop you in a gamut of tastes and aromas of the East: honey, almonds, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, amazing black molasses. The brown sugar gives a caramel flavor and a pleasant crunch.
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