Şekerpare
Şekerpare: soft semolina-almond cookies baked golden and soaked in lemon syrup
Şekerpare is the cookie that every Turkish household bakes for bayram visits, when trays are passed to relatives and neighbours along with coffee and cologne for the hands. Soft, buttery rounds of semolina dough are each topped with an almond, baked until golden and then soaked in syrup until they are tender all the way through but still hold their shape. They keep for days and taste better on the second. Common mistake: cold syrup on cold cookies, which never soaks in; one of them must be hot. Chef's tip: bake until the bases are properly golden; pale cookies turn mushy when they meet the syrup.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
For the syrup
For the cookies
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Boil 14 oz sugar and 1 ½ cups water for 10 minutes, add 1 tbsp lemon juice and leave to cool.
10 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Beat 4 ½ oz butter and 3 ½ oz icing sugar until pale, then beat in 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Step 3: Mix in 1 ¾ oz fine semolina, 8 oz plain flour and 1 tsp baking powder to a soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands.
Step 4: Roll into 20 walnut-sized balls, flatten slightly on a lined tray, press one of the 20 blanched almonds into each and leave 3 cm between them.
Step 5: Bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden on top and deep golden underneath.
25 minStep 6: Pour the cooled syrup over the hot cookies in a dish, cover and leave for at least 2 hours, until they have absorbed it. Store covered for up to 4 days.
120 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does şekerpare take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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