Biscotcho/Kahk Cookies Recipe - Aish.com?

These are melt-in-your-mouth cookies. Their brittle texture relies on a generous amount of ghee. Kahk comes with different fillings: date paste, walnuts, agameya (see notes), or agameya mixed with walnuts . In my book, the best Kahk is the one my late grandma made, yet you probably can guess what comes next!

What is kahk made of?

These are melt-in-your-mouth cookies. Their brittle texture relies on a generous amount of ghee. Kahk comes with different fillings: date paste, walnuts, agameya (see notes), or agameya mixed with walnuts . In my book, the best Kahk is the one my late grandma made, yet you probably can guess what comes next!

What ingredient makes cookies stick together?

Binding agents are the liquid in the recipe that hold the cookie together. Examples of binding agents are eggs, milk, honey, and fruit juice. Cookies with more eggs will rise more and spread less. If you want a crispier cookie, you can replace a whole egg with just an egg white.

What is kahk in english?

Kaak or Kaak el-Eid (Egyptian Arabic: كحك or كحك العيد [ˈkæħk el ˈʕiːd]), is a small circular biscuit that originated in Egypt and is eaten across the Arab world to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

What is the national dessert of Egypt?

Om Ali, Omali, Umm Ali, or Oumm Ali (Egyptian Arabic: أم على), meaning "Mother of Ali", is a traditional Egyptian dessert, and is a national dessert of Egypt.

What is the secret to chewy cookies?

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness . Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

What is the best sugar for cookies?

Granulated sugar Using granulated white sugar will result in a flatter, crispier and lighter-colored cookie. Granulated sugar is hygroscopic, so it attracts and absorbs the liquid in the dough. This slows down the development of the gluten (flour), which makes the cookies crispier.

What is a kahk in Arabic food?

Ka'ak are popularly served for Eid al-Fitr and Easter in Egypt , where they are known as kahk. Kahk are coated in powdered sugar and filled with 'agameya (عجمية, a mixture of honey, nuts, and ghee), lokum, walnuts, pistachios, or dates, or simply served plain. They are also decorated with intricate designs.

Does kahk have nuts in it?

Kahk fillings Some of the most common fillings are: Agameya: This is a classic filling made by cooking ghee (clarified butter), honey, sesame seeds, and nuts. Nuts used are usually walnuts, but almonds or pistachios can be used instead.

Where did the kahk cookie come from?

Kahk Cookies originated in Egypt and are an ancient recipe. Carvings have even been found of people making Kahk in the ruins of ancient temples like Memphis and Thebes! Over the years, the tradition of Eid Cookies continued and changed, making its way into Islamic culture as well.

What was Egyptian bread made of?

This bread was made from an ancient type of wheat called emmer or, less often, barley . Loaves would be made in clay ovens crafted from the mud of the Nile; in Egypt, everything comes back to the Nile.

Biscotcho/Kahk Cookies Recipe

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Aish.com > Jewlish > Cook > Dessert

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Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Learn to make the well known sephardi cookie.

by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Kahk – also known as ka’ak, biscocho, biscotcho, rosca and roskita – are an ancient form of hard, round biscuit that is found throughout Jewish communities in the Middle East.

There are many forms of this popular biscuit. For years, kahk were a savory treat, often flavored with sesame seeds; with the popularization of sugar in the Middle East during the Middle Ages, many cooks began baking sweet kahk pastries as well. Kahk is often baked using a yeast-based dough, though some modern cooks make kahk with dough leavened with baking powder. Syrian Jews bake a delicious kosher for Passover version of kahk that uses ground almonds instead of wheat flour, called kahk bi loz.

In Spain, Jews baked small round pastries twice – like Italian biscotti – and called these hard pastries variously roscas or biscochos. Jewish bakers made their ring-shaped cookies differently from their non-Jewish neighbors: Jewish cooks generally used oil in their pastries (as opposed to butter or lard); another Jewish innovation was adding eggs to the dough. Spanish Jews also developed a softer version of roscas, which was only baked once and was more cake-like, which became a beloved Shabbat treat. When Spain expelled its Jews in 1492, Sephardi (Spanish) Jews took their love of biscocho/roscas with them to new homes.

“Biscocho” soon came to mean any cookie in Ladino, the language of Sephardi Jews. Hard, ring-shaped cookies became a hallmark of Sephardi Jewish cooks across the world. Like kahk, there are many versions of biscocho/roscas/roskitas. They can be savory or sweet. In some communities they lost their traditional round shape. For instance, “roscas alhashu” are popular Purim cookies among Balkan Jews: these are crescent-shaped cookies stuffed with walnuts.

Here is a traditional recipe for Biscochos:

IngredientsInstructions

Ingredients

Servings 36 cookies

385-420 grams (3 ¼ cups) all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 eggs divided
120 ml (2 cups) vegetable oil
200 g (1 cup) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
Sesame seeds for sprinkling

Instructions

Nutritional Facts

Nutrition Facts

Biscotcho/Kahk Cookies

Amount per Serving

Calories

3355

% Daily Value*

Fat

128

197

Saturated Fat

138

Trans Fat

Polyunsaturated Fat

Monounsaturated Fat

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350℉/180°C. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together 385g (about 3 cups) flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a stand mixer (or using a handheld electric mixer and a large bowl), beat 2 eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, and orange zest at medium-high speed until pale and creamy, 2–3 minutes.
Add the flour mixture in two additions, beating to incorporate and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until a firm but pliable dough forms. If the dough is too wet or sticky to handle, add up to 35g additional flour (¼ cup), 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, until the desired consistency is reached. (You may not need all of the additional flour.)
Working on a lightly floured surface, pinch off a walnut- size piece of dough and roll it into a rope that is 15cm (6-inches) long and about 1.25cm (½-inch) thick. Repeat with several more pieces of dough. Using a sharp knife, score little notches about 16mm (¾ -inch) apart along the length of each of the ropes.
With the notched edge facing out, form each rope into a ring, gently pressing the ends together to seal.
Place on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat the rolling, scoring, and shaping process until all of the dough is used.
In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg. Brush the rings with a little egg (you may not use all of it) and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds. Bake, rotating the sheets front to back halfway through, until the cookies are gently puffed and golden brown, 20–25 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool. They will continue to firm up as they cool.

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Biscotcho/Kahk Cookies Recipe - Aish.com (2024)

Ingredients

Nutritional Facts

Instructions

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