Sekespare cookies recipe

Sekespare Cookies

Shakespeare spelt his name many different ways. One article notes 20 different spellings, however sekespare is not one of them. Sekespare, which is a Turkish cookie, has nothing to do with Shakespeare. Sekespare is no ordinary cookie though, even if it is made from ordinary standard ingredients. The cookies are soaked in syrup, just like baklavas. 

Making sekespares requires basic knowledge of syrups. Since I rarely make syrups I got it wrong. I took it too far and the syrup darkened. The consistency also did not seem right as the cookies refused to absorb them, they were being stubborn. So my sekespares were syrup coated rather than syrup soaked. But still very delicious. Another minor mistake I made was with the shape of the cookies. It should be dome shaped. In spite of not being able to perfect the cookies myself I am still presenting the recipe here in case you want to try it. 


The cookies on its own are not overly sweet so the syrup is needed. However I used less syrup than suggested in the recipe. 

When it comes to soaking in syrup, the rule is to pour cold syrup over hot cookies or vice versa.

I’ve had this recipe for a long time and unfortunately I don’t have a source for it.

Ingredients

2 cups flour

½ cup semolina

½ cups sugar

1 egg

125g butter (I used coconut oil)

2 teaspoons baking powder

Walnuts (optional)
Vanilla extract (optional)

For the syrup

2 cups sugar 

2 ½ cups water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1.      Cream butter, egg, sugar and vanilla extract

2.      Add flour, semolina and baking powder, and mix well

3.      Place small balls of dough onto a greased baking tray, place half a walnut on top and press gently

4.      Bake at 180C/360F until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

5.      To make the syrup boil the water and sugar for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice

6.      Pour the syrup over the cookies, a teaspoon at a time. Wait until the syrup is absorbed before adding more.

7.      Let the cookies cool in the refrigerator for a few hours and serve cold

Sekespare Cookies

Pin It