The Best Kahk (Eid Cookies) Ever – Easy Recipe

These Kahk cookies are the quintessential Eid cookies all over the Middle East, especially in Egypt, and for a good reason! They’re round, buttery cookies that have the most delicious melt-in-the-mouth texture ever!

The incredibly fine, and light texture of these cookies is incredible and will have you wanting more! What’s best is that these delicious Kahk cookies are usually stuffed with some of the tastiest fillings ever!

Kahk might look tricky to make, but it’s as simple as mixing together dry ingredients with some delicious ghee! It’s so easy that you’ll be surprised! And my recipe teaches you the simplest way to do it.
One cookie won’t be enough, and you’ll keep reaching out for more. Top these cookies off with some powdered sugar and you’ll have some of the most incredible cookies you’ve ever tried.

Whether you’ve grown up having Kahk during Eid, or this is your first time making them you’re about to make some of the best memories ever while preparing and eating these perfect cookies.

Want to learn how to make Kahk (Eid Cookies)? Then keep on reading!

What is Kahk?

Kahk is a round, buttery sugar cookie with a fine crumb, delicate texture, and pleasantly aromatic flavor. The cookies themselves are barely sweet, allowing the fillings and powdered sugar covering to add more sweetness.

They are a traditional cookie from Egypt that’s usually eaten during Eid, especially Eid-ul-Fitr which is celebrated after the end of Ramadan. For this reason, they’re many times also referred to as Kahk-al-Eid (or Ka’ak al-Eid), or cookies of the feast.

Eid is a time of celebration for Muslims and it lasts for 3 days. It’s a time for people to dress up, exchange gifts, and gather for a feast. That’s when Kahk is eaten the most! It’s truly a cookie for celebrations.

In fact, it’s not only Muslims that enjoy having it but Christians as well. It’s also served at other celebrations across Egypt and the Middle East, including weddings, Christmas, and Easter.

While Kahk might look like a cookie that’s tricky to make, it’s easier than you can imagine it to be! Making the cookie itself is all about combining dry ingredients with ghee and then mixing it all until it turns into a creamy, smooth paste. Yep, that’s how simple it is!

For this recipe, one of the most important ingredients while making Kahk is ghee. Since a lot of it is added to the cookies, the flavor really shines through. That’s why try to get your hands on the best quality ghee you can find!

What’s the Kahk Tradition in Egypt for Eid?

These Kahk cookies are a symbol of celebrations of Eid in Egypt, and other parts of the Middle East for a reason.

Making Kahk cookies is like an event and informal ritual that Egyptian families look forward to every year during Eid. It’s hardly ever something that’s done in isolation and is usually a family event.

Women gather around the kitchen table, joking and laughing as they make Kahk cookies together. Usually, each woman is assigned a specific task, and kids are also encouraged to be a part of the process!

It’s truly a beautiful way to share memories and time together in preparation for Eid. People sometimes make Kahk at home and then take it to a communal bakery where it is baked and cooled.

During Eid, families commonly exchange Kahk as gifts, and friendly informal competitions over who makes the tastiest Kahk are common.

These delicate, delicious cookies are stuffed with different types of fillings, and many times the cookies are stamped to differentiate between the fillings. And, of course, kids love being in charge of the stamping process.

These Kahk molds to stamp cookies are sometimes passed down from generation to generation in the family and go to show the beautiful tradition that surrounds these delicious cookies.

Where Did Kahk Originate From?

Kahk is believed to have originated back in Ancient Egypt as evidence of carvings depicting people making these incredible cookies have been found in the ruins of temples in Memphis and Thebes.

They have also been found in 3,500-year-old tombs. This cookie truly captures history! Back then, it was made in a variety of geometric shapes depicting the beliefs of that time.

This tradition continued over thousands of years and then became part of Islamic history. Bakers from the Tulunid dynasty dating back to 868 AD made Kahk and stamped the words ‘kol wishukr’ on it which literally means ‘eat and thank god’.

It was first included as part of the Eid celebrations by the Ikhshidid dynasty in the 10^th century. During that time, gold coins were stuffed in Kahk and distributed to the poor.

We might not be stuffing these with gold coins these days, but they’re now stuffed with some of the most delicious fillings ever!

Types of Fillings for Kahk (Eid Cookies)

Sometimes Kahk is left plain, but most of the times you will find a variety of different filling options for these tasty cookies. Here are the four most common filling options:

Malban (Turkish delight)

One of the most classic fillings for these beautiful cookies is Turkish delight which is also referred to as malban. It’s a delicious, sweet candy that’s gummy and chewy in texture. It’s, by far, one of the most popular sweets in the world and tastes absolutely incredible.

Making these Turkish delights (malban) is easier than you think. And my recipe is here to teach you exactly how to do that in a few easy steps! This tasty, chewy candy will then be stuffed with pistachios which gives Kahk two layers of deliciousness all in one!

Agameya

This is another popular filling that’s made using ghee, honey, sesame seeds, and nuts. Usually, walnuts are used as the preferred nuts, but almonds and pistachios can also be used. To make agameya, honey is mixed with ghee and cooked until it turns into a soft, sticky, pliable dough.

Agwa (date paste)

Kahk is also stuffed with a sticky, sweet date paste and is very similar to how Ma’amoul cookies are stuffed. In fact, it is often said that Ma’amoul cookies have originated from Kahk cookies.

Nuts

Kahk can also be filled with different types of nuts such as pistachios, walnuts, and almonds. This is typically either in the form of chopped nuts or in the form of a nut paste.

What is Kahk Essence?

There’s a unique and distinct lightly aromatic flavor to Kahk that comes from the use of Kahk Essense, which is also known as Reehet el Kahk. It’s a special blend of powdered spices that’s specifically made from Kahk and gives it its distinct flavor.

The exact seasoning blend changes from family to family, but it typically contains cardamom powder, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, fennel, and ground mahlab. Mahlab is an aromatic spice that’s made from the seeds of a specific variety of cherries.

You can usually find it in ethnic Egyptian stores or online. But if in case you can’t, don’t worry at all I’ve got you covered.

You can make your own Kahk essence substitute by mixing together 1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg. Yep, it’s as easy as that!

Use this little substitution and you’ll still get the tastiest Kahk you’ve ever tried!

What You Need to Make Kahk (Eid Cookies)

These cookies might look complex, but you only need simple ingredients to make them at home. Let’s look at what these are:

Kahk Ingredients

All-purpose flour: All you need is simple, plain ol’ all-purpose flour as the base of these cookies! No need for any other special types of flour. See, I told you that you only need simple ingredients for it!

Ghee: Ghee makes up a big part of the recipe and really lends to the flavor of the overall cookies. So, make sure that you get your hands on the best quality ghee to get the best tasting Kahks ever!

Sugar: We’ll be using just a little bit of sugar for the cookies. Sugar here is mainly to assist in the baking process rather than to overly sweeten the cookies, as we’ll be using only 1 ¼ tablespoon of fine sugar.

Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds add a beautiful flavor and texture to Kahk that it’s known for!

Salt: We’ll be adding just ¼ tsp of salt in the recipe to bring out all the flavors.

Baking powder: This is one of the two leavening agents we’ll be using in this recipe.

Yeast: Yeast is the other leavening agent we’ll be using to make Kahk. We’ll be using active dry yeast in this recipe. Don’t worry, you don’t have to spend time separately activating the yeast or anything. We’ll simply mix all the dry ingredients with ghee to make Kahk!

Water: You’ll need room temperature water to get the Kahk cookie dough to the right consistency.

Kahk essence: This is where the beautiful, aromatic flavor of these cookies comes from. Don’t worry if you can’t get your hands on it though! I’ve included a quick substitution in this recipe that you can make at home with readily available spices.

Powdered sugar: We’ll be using powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) to dust the cookies when they’re done.

Malban (Turkish delight) Filling Ingredients:

Sugar: This makes the bulk of what malban is made of. It’s also from where the sweetness of these cookies comes from and trust me it’s beautifully balanced!

Water: We’ll dissolve the sugar and other ingredients in water and then cook it to thicken it which will then give us the malban.

Cornflour: We’ll be adding cornflour to the malban so that it thickens properly and to the right consistency.

Honey: This will add a delicious flavor and richness to the malban, as well as a beautiful depth of flavor.

Lemon juice: Lemon juice helps bring out the flavors in the malban, and also balances out the sweetness.

Pistachios: We’ll be using crushed pistachios to stuff the malban before we stuff it in Kahk itself.

How to Make Kahk (Eid Cookies) at Home

Making Kahk at home is easier than you can imagine! And in my recipe, you’ll learn not only how to make these delicious cookies, but also how to stuff it with Turkish delight (malban).

Let’s look at how to do it step-by-step:

Making the Malban:

Start by taking a saucepan off the heat and add the water, sugar, cornflour, and honey to it. Mix it all well.

Next, turn on the heat to medium-high and stir occasionally. When the mixture thickens, reduce the heat to the lowest, pour in the lemon juice, and stir.

Keep on stirring the mixture occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

The process will take around an hour and 10 minutes or until you can run a spatula in the middle of the pan to make a line. The trick to knowing that the malban is done is when the line should remain visible as shown in the video.

Next, grease and dust a 7-inch pan with cornflour, then pour the malban into it. Spray the surface lightly with oil and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon.

Now, sprinkle the malban with cornflour and then tap it with your hands to prevent the surface from having cracks.

When it reaches room temperature, cover it, and place it in the fridge so that it can become firmer. Then take it out of the fridge and cut it into small cubes.

Now it’s time to stuff the malbans! Press the malban cube in your hand and then roll it into a ball. You can also press down the malban and mix it with the crushed pistachios and then roll it in your hand to form a ball. If the malban sticks to your hand, dust it with cornflour and continue creating small dough balls.

Note that you will have leftover malban which you can use to make more cookies, or you can only make half the recipe. At home, we enjoy mixing leftover malban with nuts and having it with Arabic coffee.

Making the Kahk:

Time to make the Kahk! Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat the ghee until it turns light in color and becomes fluffy. This will give you light, airy cookies.

Next, add the Kahk essence (Read note #1 for substitution), toasted sesame seeds, salt, sugar, yeast, and baking powder to the ghee and beat until it’s all well combined.

It is best to sift the flour before using it to make the Kahk. Add the flour to the ghee and beat for 4 to 5 minutes. This step will prevent the Kahk from breaking while baking and will make sure it has the right texture.

Now, pour ¼ cup of water into the dough and mix until combined for a few seconds. You shouldn’t knead the dough for longer than a few seconds after adding the water, or the cookies will come out hard. Do not worry if the dough looks too soft after adding the water; it will get firmer while mixing.

Cover the Kahk cookie dough and let it rest for 15 minutes (do not refrigerate it).

Stuffing the Kahk with Malban:

Time to stuff Kahk with Malban! Start by forming 31 grams balls from the rested dough, press one ball between your palms, and if you see no cracks, it means that the dough is perfect.

Now, take a ball of the dough and with your thumb make an indentation. Place the malban ball in this indentation and then pinch the edges with your fingers to close the seams so that you have a smooth ball.

Place the stuffed Kahk ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press each ball down gently. Repeat the process for the rest of the Kahk cookie dough and leave around 2 to 3 inches of space between each Kahk.

If your kitchen is hot and the balls are turning softer, refrigerate the filled balls for 10 minutes before baking.

Place the baking sheet in a preheated oven at 350F (180C) on the middle shelf for 18 to 20 minutes.

Once done, leave the Kahk on the baking sheet to cool down completely. Moving the cookies while warm or hot will break them.

Dust the cookies with powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) before serving.

Tips for Making the Most Delicious Kahk (Egyptian Eid Cookies) Ever

• You can make Kahk essence at home by mixing 1/8 teaspoon cardamom powder, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.
• When making the Malban, keep the heat on low after it thickens.
• Use fine sugar or confectioners’ sugar in the dough for a melt in the mouth texture, but if all you have is granulated sugar then place the granulated sugar in a grinder and pulse for 5 to 6 times and then use the sugar in the recipe.
• Preheat the oven before baking the Kahk, or it will spread.
• To prevent the Kahk from cracking while baking, it is essential to mix the flour with the ghee for five minutes using a standing mixer and 8 minutes if you are using your hand.
• If you noticed that the balls of the dough are cracking when you press down on them, this means that the dough needs more fat, so add one tablespoon of ghee and mix it with the dough for a few seconds, then try to form the ball again and press it down to check if any cracks are there.
• After adding water to the dough, it will become a little firm. Stop kneading at that point, or the Kahk will become tough.
• Instead of water, you can use milk, but the shelf life of the Kahk will be shorter.
• Always use ghee; butter will not give you the authentic flavor or texture. If you want to make your ghee using butter, I have a recipe for it here with a video as well.
• As you saw in the video and picture, I didn’t bother decorating the Kahk. Personally, I feel that the decoration is all lost under the powdered sugar, and it takes time, but you can decorate it using cookie stamps. Or watch my Maamoul video to have more idea on how to use what you have in your kitchen to shape these cookies.

How to Store Kahk

The storage instructions for Kahk change depending on whether you’ve used water or milk in the cookie dough.

If you have used water in the dough, allow the cookies to cool and place them in an airtight container. It can stay on the kitchen counter for up to 1 week. Kahk made using water can also be stored in the fridge for up to one month.

On the other hand, if you have used milk instead of water in the dough, then instead of leaving it outside on the kitchen counter, you can store it in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Both these types can be frozen in the freezer for up to 6 months.