Turkish Şekerpare Cookies by Özlem Warren

Tender Semolina Cookies in Syrup 

These moist, grainy cookies are one of the most popular sweets in Türkiye, often served on special days and at religious festivities and are offered in pastanes, patisseries and restaurants for daily enjoyment in İstanbul. Meaning ‘a piece of sugar or sweet’ in Old Turkish, with Persian roots, it was a popular sweet during the Ottoman period. Variations of şekerpare are also enjoyed throughout the Balkans and the Middle East. Sahrap Soysal and Nesrin Aşıkhasanoğlu very kindly provided tips for my version, which contains lemon juice and zest to balance out the sweetness. I love the grainy semolina in these moist cookies; ideally, they are made a day ahead, so they can absorb the syrup and become tender enough to eat with a fork. They’ll keep, covered, in a single layer, for 3–4 days. 

MAKES 16 

Ingredients

For the syrup:

• 400 g (14 oz) sugar
• 450 ml (16 fl oz) water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

For the dough:

• 125 g (4 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 55 g (2 oz) icing (powdered) sugar, sifted
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 110 g (4 oz) coarse semolina
• 255 g (9 oz) plain (all-purpose)
• flour, sifted
• zest of a medium unwaxed lemon
• 1 medium egg yolk, beaten, for brushing
• 1 tablespoon ground unsalted pistachios, to decorate 
  

Method:

1. First make the syrup. Put the sugar and water in a pan, place over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon juice, simmer for 15 minutes, then set aside to cool. You can make the syrup a day ahead and keep it covered in a cool place. 

2. Put the butter, icing sugar and whole beaten egg in a large bowl and mix using a balloon whisk until smooth and well combined. Stir in the baking powder, semolina, flour and lemon zest, then knead with your hands for 2–3 minutes until you have a semi-soft dough. 

3. Preheat the oven to 160˚C fan/180˚C (350˚F). Take a piece of dough a little larger than a ping pong ball and roll it into an oval shape, then gently flatten it so it has a height of about 1 cm (1/2 in). Pinch both ends so they are slightly pointy, then place in a 35 cm (14 in) round (or square) baking dish that has a depth of 5 cm (2 in). Continue making oval shapes this way until you have used all the dough, placing them on the baking dish 3 cm (1 1/4 in) apart. Brush with beaten egg yolk, then, using the back of a small fork, make indentation lines on top of each şekerpare. Bake for about 30 minutes, until light golden on top. 

4. Remove from the oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup over the hot şekerpare cookies, tilting the baking dish and spooning the syrup over the top of them a few times. Allow the şekerpare to absorb the syrup for 2-3 hours. 

5. Before serving, sprinkle a little ground pistachio in the centre of each şekerpare, and drizzle with a little syrup, if you wish.

Extracted from Istanbul, Özlem Warren (Quadrille, £28.00) Photography by Sam A Harris.