DIY Kahk: How to make your Eid cookies at home

CAIRO - 10 April 2024: Many Egyptian families prefer to prepare Eid al-Fitr Kahk (cookies filled with nuts and covered with powdered sugar) at home amid the joy of children, instead of buying it from bakeries.

If you ever wondered what are the ingredients for the Kahk, let us tell you:

1 kg (8 cups) all-purpose flour

100 g (1 cup minus 1 tablespoon) powdered sugar, plus extra for coating

1½ tablespoon (6 g) baking powder

⅛ tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon (10g) Kahk essence (reehet el-Kahk)

1 packet vanilla sugar (or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract)

600 g (2½ cups plus 2 tablespoons) ghee or clarified butter, at room temperature

160 g (2/3 cup) milk, at room temperature

We made your mouth water? Then here is how to make the dough:

1. Prepare your fillings by rolling the agameya (with or without nuts) and date paste into macadamia nuts-sized balls. Keep the agameya in the fridge until ready to use. Cut the Turkish delight (with or without nuts) into small squares and keep the plain nuts nearby.

2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F, for agameya-filled Kahk, 260C/ 500F.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt, Kahk essence and vanilla until well combined.

4. Add the ghee (or clarified butter) and mix on medium-low speed until well blended and the dry ingredients are evenly coated.

5. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually pour in the milk. Continue mixing until cohesive dough comes together.

6. Using a tablespoon or a tablespoon-sized ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, scoop out tablespoons of dough and place on a baking sheet. You should have approximately 135 dough scoops.

7. Roll each scoop into a ball, then (if with filling) press the center with your thumb to make an indentation for the filling to sit in. Add the filling of your choice, then gather the dough up over the filling to completely cover it. Make sure that no filling is peaking out. Roll the filled dough into a smooth ball.

8. Arrange the dough balls onto a silicon mat or parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, leaving an inch of space between each one.

9. To be able to distinguish between the different Kahk fillings, give them some designs. Press lightly on the dough with a kahk stamper (khattama) or decorate with kahk shaping tweezers (mona’ash), if available. If not, make a cross hatch design using the twines of a fork, or simply press down with your hand and leave plain.

10. Bake until firm to the touch and golden all over in color.

11. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool before dusting with powdered sugar, otherwise the sugar will melt on the Kahk, creating a wet surface.

12. Using a small sieve, dust the Kahk with a generous amount of powdered sugar or roll into a bowl full of sugar.

13- Serve or store in a container. Kahk will keep well at room temperature for weeks and weeks.

For chocolate lovers, Nutella Kahk would be a favorable choice for a breakfast with a cup of tea with milk on the first day of Eid al-Fitr.