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Fabulous Kahk (Eid Cookies) Cleobuttera

This document is a recipe for traditional Eid cookies called Kahk. It provides background information on Eid celebrations in Egypt where families exchange gifts and feast together after the month-long Ramadan fast. Kahk cookies are a staple of these celebrations, containing various fillings like honey and nuts. The recipe shares details on making the light and melt-in-your-mouth dough, preparing different fillings, and assembling the cookies by rolling, filling, and stamping them before enjoying.

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ayda
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57 views1 page

Fabulous Kahk (Eid Cookies) Cleobuttera

This document is a recipe for traditional Eid cookies called Kahk. It provides background information on Eid celebrations in Egypt where families exchange gifts and feast together after the month-long Ramadan fast. Kahk cookies are a staple of these celebrations, containing various fillings like honey and nuts. The recipe shares details on making the light and melt-in-your-mouth dough, preparing different fillings, and assembling the cookies by rolling, filling, and stamping them before enjoying.

Uploaded by

ayda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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J U LY 1 , 2 0 1 6 // ! 152 comments »

FABULOUS KAHK (EID


COOKIES)
" JUMP TO RECIPE

An AMAZING recipe for traditional Eid (post


Ramadan Feast) cookies! These have a
fabulously fine crumb and delicate texture
that dissolves in the mouth. Filling
variations included!

Aaaaaaand that’s a wrap!

Ramadan’s Middle Eastern Dessert palooza has


come to an end and we’re sealing it with Eid
Cookies! So roll up your sleeves people because
we’re about to get covered in powdered sugar!

Let’s back up a little for those of you who’re lost


here.

Eid (in this case Eid Al Fitr) is the feast holiday that
marks the end of Ramadan. Because after a
month-long of fasting, you bet we’re going to be
feasting.

Eid El-Fitr celebrations last for 3 days, and it’s a


time where people exchange gifts, wear new
clothes (aka the best excuse to go shopping )
and gather for… you guessed it…a feast.

And no Egyptian feast is complete without Kahk.


The lightly spiced crumbly cookie stuffed with
sweet surprises and buried under copious amounts
of powdered sugar.

Other than the return of my beloved cup of morning


coffee, there’s nothing I associate the arrival of Eid
more than the arrival of these cookies at my house.

Families and friends have been gifting each other


with homemade and store-bought kahk since
forever.

So as you could imagine, the calories consumed


during the three days of Eid make up for all those
lost during the month’s fast.

Kahk is believed to date back in Egypt to the 10th


century, when palace kitchens made special
cookies stuffed with gold coins and distributed
them to the poor. Things have gone downhill ever
since and we’ve been getting nuts and gooey
honey filling instead of gold coins, but whatever…
they’re still great!

But as much as they are delicious, Kahk is more


about the essence of the celebration than about
anything else. It is more of an event; an informal
ritual that Egyptian families look forward to, than
just a mere cookie that we love to gobble up.
The process of making them is rarely a one-man
show, but a chance for families to gather around
baking trays and share stories and laughs over the
hours of preparation.

Kids take part in putting their artistic touches by


stamping their designs and filling the cookies, while
grownups take over the baking part.

Ofcourse, every household has its own unique


recipe that they treasure, but the basics remain the
same. Kahk is a type of buttery sugar cookie with a
sandy texture and mildly aromatic flavor. The
cookies themselves are barely sweet, making way
for more sweetness in the form of fillings and
powdered sugar coating.
In term of looks, they are comparable to Mexican
Wedding Cookies and Snowballs. I have a feeling,
the texture is similar too. Gotta try them to be
sure:)

Kahk have these signature prints on top that are


plain fun to make with special stampers, but also
acts as a label to the different types of fillings.
They also help the powdered sugar adhere to the
surface.

Kahk can have so many different fillings or can be


left plain. Ofcourse it doesn’t come as a surprise
that the kiddos will only have them plain or they’re
not eating any.

The most popular filling by far is the Agameya (my


favorite!)
. It’s a cooked mixture of ghee, honey, sesame
seeds and optional nuts; most often walnuts. It’s
sweet and gooey and irresistible. Kahk can also be
stuffed with Turkish delight (malban), sticky sweet
date paste (agwa) or plain nuts like walnuts and
pistachios.

Though made from very simple ingredients,


Agameya can be a little tricky to make. If its runny,
it will ooze out of the cookies as they bake, and if
its too hard, it will stick to your teeth and ruin your
kahk experience. Trust me, I’ve had my fair share
of both extremes, but I was finally able to settle on
the right ratio of ingredients, paired with the perfect
cooking period to produce a Agameya that is
perfectly malleable and oh-so-delcious.

Now before we begin making our cookies, its a


good idea to get all our fillings portioned and ready
to go.

No wait… before we get elbow deep into making


them, I need to tell you about this recipe in
particular. I don’t mean to brag, but it makes the
best kahk I’ve ever tasted. It is THE recipe you
want in your life!

Believe it or not, I was never into kahk in the first


place until last year. I mean they’ve always tasted
ok to me, but they were never something I’d crave
or would waste calories on. I’ve always had some
reservations about their coarse texture and lack of
sweetness in the cookie itself.

I just enjoyed their presence and the joy they


brought , but never the eating part. Until my sister-
in-law got me a box of Kahk from Le Carnaval; one
of Cairo’s finest high-end patisseries. One bite of
their melt-in-the-mouth cookies was able to change
my mind about Kahk. They were all of a sudden…
cravable. I quickly became so consumed with
finding a recipe that measured up to Le Carnaval’s.
And with the guidance of a pastry chef friend…I
finally did! Yes, it took an entire year, but it was
worth it.

Before we dive into details, here’s a quick glimpse


of how they come together to give you an idea.

Fabulous Kahk - ‫ • كحك العيد‬yal…

The lightly aromatic flavor of this kahk is on point


and part of it comes from the use of Kahk Essence
(Reehet El Kahk). It is a special blend of spices,
specifically made for Kahk, which gives it its
distinctive flavor. If you can get your hands on
some, awesome! If you can’t, you can always leave
it out and still have great kahk, or you could refer to
the substitutions in the ‘Notes’ section of the recipe
at the end of the post.

The other ingredient that either makes or breaks


the flavor of these cookies, is ghee! Since A LOT
goes into the dough, the flavor really comes
through, so be sure to use the best quality you
could find.

Here’s how you could make your own.

I don’t get why Kahk has a reputation for being


difficult to make. I mean… dry ingredients just get
whisked together, then we dump in the ghee, mix
until it becomes creamy and a smooth paste
forms…

Then add in some milk. Mix in a little bit more until


a cohesive dough forms. And that’s it! Dough
done.

Here comes my beloved mini ice cream scoop


again. My number 1 kitchen gadget! Perfect for
portioning the cookies so they’re all the same size.

Then to fill, you’re going to roll the dough into a


ball, make an indentation using your thumb, stuff
with your filling of choice, reroll to cover the filling
then stamp.

Kids LOVE doing this part, so get them involved!


Stamp, stamp, stamp using the special kahk
stamper or any stamper really.

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