Rachel’s Cookies: The Treats that Defeated Terrorists

When terrorists stormed into Rachel Edri’s home in Ofakim, Israel on October 7, taking her and her husband hostage and barricading themselves in her home, she stayed calm. She offered them snacks, including her home-baked cookies. She chatted with them, offering to bandage an injury for one. Eventually, counter-terrorist forces arrived and ended the Edris’ long ordeal.

As the war with Hamas continues, Jewish people are preparing to mark the festival of Purim, which celebrates our nation’s salvation from a plot of extermination. On Purim, we eat hamantashen, triangular cookies that recall the downfall of the wicked Haman and G-d’s salvation of the Jewish People. 

This Purim, there’s another cookie we can add to the menu: the cookies that Rachel Edri used to thwart the evil plans of those terrorists on that dark day.  

Rachel recently shared her recipe, which we are including here (amounts have been translated from metric to imperial).

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Form the cookie dough into small balls about 1” in diameter and flatten slightly. Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving 1” of space between cookies. Bake for 14 minutes and allow to cool.