Oldest cookie recipe in history and it looks delicious

[Figarosmom]

Last edited Wed Feb 25, 2026, 01:02 AM - Edit history (3)

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https://www.tastinghistory.com/recipes/mersu

[eppur_se_muova]

1. "Thousands of people around the world have tried this recipe ..." so, where's the recipe ?

[progressoid]

3. Here's one

https://www.tastinghistory.com/recipes/mersu



Ingredients:

Dough

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
2 1/2 cups (300 g) emmer flour, or bread flour
2/3 cup (150 g) ghee or clarified butter that’s been allowed to solidify
1/2 cup (170 g) date syrup or honey, optional*

Filling

1/2 cup (75 g) shelled pistachios
1 cup (150 g) pitted dates

Decoration

Whole pistachios, optional

*The filling is quite sweet, so whether or not the dough is sweetened is up to you.

Instructions:

For the dough: In a large bowl, whisk the ground coriander seed and flour together until combined.
Add the ghee and and mix until it comes together to form a dough. I used my hands for this. With emmer flour, it took about 5 minutes for it to come together. If you use bread flour, this process will probably be easier.
Mix in the date syrup or honey if you’re using it. If the dough isn’t coming together, you can mix in cold water a teaspoon or so at a time until it does. Cover and set the dough aside to rest while you make the filing.
For the filling: Crush the pistachios in a mortar or a food processor. You want there to be mostly coarse pieces of broken pistachio, there’s no need to grind it down into a powder.
Mash the dates in a mortar or grind them up in a food processor until you get a paste.
Combine the crushed pistachios and date paste in a bowl and mash them together until the mixture is fairly uniform. It’s messy, but I found my hands worked well for this step as well.
To assemble: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Divide the filling into 18 pieces and roll them into balls or form them into patties.
Divide the rested dough into 18 pieces. Flatten the pieces out into rough circles. It might be a little crumbly, but that’s okay. Place a piece of the filling into the center of each round and wrap the dough around it. You may need to add a bit of dough in patches to cover the filling completely. Try to get the dough as thin as possible while still covering the filling; it will be more pleasant to eat this way.
Flatten the formed mersu into hockey puck-like rounds. Place the mersu about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If you’d like, you can decorate them by gently pressing a few whole pistachios into the tops.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until they’re lightly browned on top.
Let them cool completely before serving them forth.

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[Figarosmom]

4. Thanks i forgot to add the recipe from

The comment section.

[progressoid]

15. And I spent way too much time watching videos of ancient recipes!

[eppur_se_muova]

14. Thanks ! Lots of Middle Eastern favorite ingredients, will have to try it ! nt

[msongs]

2. oldest cookie recipe. not an actual really old cookie. maybe the egyptians had that nt

[Figarosmom]

5. Egypt, Mesopotamia and India. Nt

[msongs]

6. how many centuries would a pack of oreos last if u kept them totally dry nt

[Figarosmom]

9. Probably forever unless a rodent got to them

[Sogo]

7. I looks like a Fig Newton.

Probably tastes similar, also....

[Figarosmom]

8. That's what i thought too

I like fig Newton although they taste different now the they did 20 years ago. I think they changed the recipe for the dough.

[Nittersing]

11. Oh I agree!!

Serious Eats (Stella Parks) has an amazing recipe for fig newtons. And it's that cake-like dough recipe that makes all the difference,

https://www.seriouseats.com/homemade-fig-newtons-recipe

[marble falls]

10. Here's a recipe ...

https://eatshistory.com/mesopotamian-recipe-mersu-dessert-balls/

[eppur_se_muova]

13. Thanks ! Lots of Middle Eastern favorite ingredients, will have to try it ! nt

[Nittersing]

12. These reminds me of some "Bear Claw" cookies my Mom used to make

They were filled with a date/nut mixture and then four or five peanut halves around the edges to look like claws.