Cookies for Eid? Is it HALAL?

Assalamu’alaikum Sobat Halal-Mu

Sobat, it doesn’t feel like the month of Ramadan is coming soon. Who here likes Eid cookies? Like nastar, kastengel, putri salju, peanut cookies, and others. These eid cookies must be considered halal. Why is that? Because the critical point of these cookies comes from the raw materials and the tools used such as brushes that must be considered. Let’s discuss why the ingredients and tools for making Eid cookies must be considered.

In the manufacturing process there are several main ingredients and tools used, among others:

• Wheat Flour

Wheat flour in baking plays a very important role, because wheat flour contains gluten which is useful for forming the framework of the dough. Then why is wheat flour critical? Because in the production process wheat flour is fortified with iron, folic acid, vitamins, and others. The additives added to wheat flour must be microbiologically clear whether at the time of production using halal or non-halal microbial media. If it is not halal, then the flour is doubtful in terms of its halalness.

•  Butter and Margarine

Butter and margarine in making of cookies provide a savory taste, crunchy texture and give a fragrant smell to the cookies. Butter and margarine are fat-based where in the production process there are often stabilizers, flavor enhancers, or dyes added. The addition of some of these ingredients needs to be criticized for its halalness too, friend.

• Sugar

Sugar is also the main ingredient in making cookies. In addition to giving sweetness, sugar is also useful for giving texture and color. In the process of making granulated sugar, there is the use of activated charcoal which has the opportunity to be a critical point. Because the active charcoal must be clear whether the active charcoal is made from wood charcoal or bone charcoal. If using bone charcoal, the halal status of its animal origin must be considered.

• Chocolate

Chocolate in cookies not only adds deliciousness but is also widely used as an enhancer of the beauty of the appearance of cookies. Chocolate is also fat-based which requires emulsifiers or stabilizers in the manufacturing process. Stabilizers can be a critical point because it must be clear whether the origin is vegetable-based or animal-based. In addition, the production process also uses lactose, whey, and flavor. Lactose and whey are critical ingredients because they are by-products of cheese products, which may use haram ingredients in cheese making.

• Cheese

Many Indonesians love cookies made from cheese. Cheese is made from milk, and the milk used can also come from cow’s milk, sheep’s milk, or camel’s milk. The production process requires microorganisms and enzymes such as rennet enzyme to coagulate the milk. The rennet enzyme can come from animals such as pigs. In addition, the rennet enzyme is also processed microbially. Therefore, you must pay attention to whether the cheese you use is halal or not.

• Brush

Before the cookies are baked, the cookies are usually coated with egg yolk or other ingredients so that the cookies can become more beautiful in color. The brush used must not come from pig bristles. Then how do you know if the brush used comes from pig bristles? Usually brushes made from pig bristles often write the word: Bristle which means pig bristles. Then is there a substitute for animal hair-based brushes? Of course there is, you can use a brush made from plastic or polyester.

How about you Halal friend? Apart from this explanation, it must also be considered whether the use of cooking utensils is used together with non-halal products, then whether when storing the pastries it comes into contact with non-halal products which, if it comes into contact, can become contamination of the product into haram. Let’s learn together about critical points. Although many pastries in Indonesia are already halal certified, at least we know what are the critical points of cookies.

Halal is Our Need, Our Quality and Our Choice!