Mouth-watering oriental cookies widely know as kahk make up an essential component of the Muslim Eid el-Fitr, the feast after Ramadan, the month in which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. A well-recognized indication of the arrival of Eid, kahk is baked and purchased by a vast majority of Arab Muslims. Indeed so popular is it that some Muslims refer to this festival as Eid el-Kahk. This year, why don’t you participate in celebrating Eid, and put this kahk recipe to the test. You are guaranteed a festive (though possibly messy) baking experience, and a batch of undeniably delicious gourmet pastries.

Ingredients

1 kg flour
750 gm ghee (samn balady)
30 gm active yeast
40 gm powdered sugar.
200 gm lukewarm water
1 tsp kahk extract
 
Directions

1- Heat the ghee until almost boiling

2- Carefully add the flour to the hot ghee and whisk together, using a mixer if you have one

3- Mix the yeast with the sugar and kahk extract in lukewarm water

4- Leave mixture for 5 minutes

5- Combine the water mixture with the flour mixture using your hands until all the water is absorbed

6- Knead dough thoroughly until smooth

7- Divide the dough into smooth, round balls

8- If you want to fill the cookies, take the ball of dough in the palm of your hand and make a hole in the center.

9- Insert the filling your choice and seal the hole

10- Arrange the kahk in a large nonstick baking tray and leave them to rest for a few hours.

11- Bake kahk for 25 minutes in a preheated oven.

12- Take the batch out of the oven and leave it to cool off

13- Dust cookies with powdered sugar

Resist temptation. Remember not to eat the whole batch yourself!