Classic Turkish Sekerpare with Hazelnuts

Name: Classic Turkish Sekerpare
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 225 min
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 480 g all-purpose flour; 40 g semolina, fine or medium; 250 g butter, softened to room temperature; 2 eggs, room temperature; 120 g powdered sugar; 100 ml sunflower oil; 10 g baking powder; 5 g vanilla powder, or 1 tsp vanilla extract; 12 hazelnuts, whole, raw or lightly toasted; 700 g granulated sugar; 700 ml water; 1 slice lemon

What You Need

Ingredients

12 servings

Equipment

Medium saucepan
Stand mixer or hand mixer
Baking sheet
Ladle

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Spreading happens when the butter is melted rather than just softened to room temperature, or if the dough doesn't contain quite enough flour. Room-temperature butter holds air and provides structure.

Syrup won't absorb if the cookies have cooled down too much before pouring, or if the syrup itself is still warm. It can also happen if the dough was over-floured and became too dense for the liquid to penetrate.

Give the cookies at least 3 to 4 hours to absorb the syrup. Overnight resting makes them tender throughout.

While this recipe uses hazelnuts, a traditional alternative is to skip the nut, brush the dough with a beaten egg yolk, and lightly score the tops with a fork before baking to create a classic, golden, cracked appearance.

Their crust may not be firm enough to hold together after soaking. Bake until golden before adding the cooled syrup.

A slightly cracked top is completely normal and actually desirable. It indicates a good bake and gives the syrup natural channels to seep deep into the center of the cookie.

Yes, but only before soaking. Bake the cookies fully, let them cool entirely, and freeze them in an airtight container. When ready to serve, briefly reheat them in the oven until hot, then pour cold syrup over them.

These intensely sweet, syrupy cookies are traditionally balanced with unsweetened black tea or bitter Turkish coffee. For dessert, a dollop of kaymak (clotted cream) or vanilla ice cream makes an excellent pairing.

Step By Step

Instructions

Prep
Simmer and Chill the Lemon Syrup
Stir the granulated sugar and water together in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring everything up to a rolling boil and let it bubble away for exactly 5 minutes so it slightly thickens, then drop in your lemon slice and pull the pan off the heat. That syrup really needs to be completely cold before your cookies come out of the oven, so pour it into a separate bowl and set it aside to cool down entirely.
1 1/2 lb granulated sugar3 cup water1 slice lemonMedium saucepan
Cream the Wet Dough Base
In a large mixing bowl, combine your room-temperature butter, sunflower oil, eggs, powdered sugar, vanilla powder, baking powder, and semolina. Beat everything together using a stand mixer or hand mixer, or knead thoroughly by hand, until the mixture turns wonderfully smooth, pale, and thoroughly emulsified. Double-check that there aren't any stubborn pockets or lumps of butter remaining.
8 7/8 oz butter3/8 cup sunflower oil2 eggs4 1/4 oz powdered sugar5 g vanilla powder10 g baking powder1 3/8 oz semolinaStand mixer or hand mixer
Fold in the Flour and Shape
Gradually work the all-purpose flour into your wet mixture, incorporating just a little at a time. The trick is to stop adding flour the very moment the dough stops clinging to your fingers and feels soft yet easy to shape; too much flour will give you dense, heavy cookies. Pinch off walnut-sized portions (about 30g each), roll them into smooth spheres, and arrange them neatly on an ungreased baking sheet. Press a hazelnut kernel firmly into the center of each ball, flattening the top just slightly.
1 lb all-purpose flour12 hazelnutsBaking sheet
Bake
Bake to a Rich Gold
Slide the baking sheet into your oven preheated to 180C (356F). Bake until the cookies develop an unmistakable, rich golden-brown shade across their tops. Don't be tempted to pull them out early while they're pale, because an underbaked crust simply won't hold up and will turn to mush the minute it hits the syrup.
1 lb all-purpose flour1 3/8 oz semolina8 7/8 oz butterBaking sheet
Finish
Bathe the Hot Cookies in Syrup
Take the baked cookies out of the oven and let them sit for just 5 minutes so that initial blistering heat subsides. Using a ladle, spoon the completely cooled syrup evenly over the piping-hot cookies. Immediately tent or cover the tray with a deep baking dish or foil to seal in the steam. Now let the cookies rest undisturbed for at least 3 to 4 hours so they can drink up all that liquid completely.
1 1/2 lb granulated sugar3 cup water1 3/8 oz semolinaLadle

Whenever you make şekerpare, the golden rule is to make sure your lemon syrup has cooled down completely before the cookies leave the oven. You'll pour that cold syrup over the piping-hot, golden cookies, giving them a few good hours to slowly soak up every drop. If the cookies come out pale, they tend to turn overly soggy once saturated, so make sure they take on a lovely, rich color before pulling them out.

Reach for softened butter rather than melted when whipping up the dough. You want it to feel wonderfully pliable and non-sticky in your hands, ensuring the shaped cookies hold their nice, rounded domes while baking. As soon as the syrup goes on, cover the pan and let the cookies rest undisturbed until they turn melt-in-your-mouth tender throughout.

In this classic version, we press a whole hazelnut right into the center of each cookie. If you'd like to try another favorite variation, check out my linked pistachio semolina syrup cookies, which feature a different dough and finish.