The ultimate buttery melt in your mouth cookies that symbolise celebrations, joyful times, and sweet memories. Egyptian families used to gather to make this traditional recipe during Eid al-fitr (end of Ramadan celebration) , Christmas and Easter.
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Eid in Arabic means feast/celebration/ holiday, Muslims have two feasts in the lunar calendar, one that follows the holy month of Ramadan and the other is during the Hajj (pilgrimage) season. Cookies are a huge part of Eid, with kahk being the most famous of all.
Jump to:
- Egyptian Cookies
- Ingredients you'll need
- Adaptable recipe – make it your own!
- Before you begin: essential tools
- Step by step: instructions
- Your questions answered: FAQs
- My notes
- How to store leftovers
- Perfect pairings: what to serve with
- You'll also like
- Kahk- Eid cookies - with pistachios and honey filling
- Warm Eid memories
Egyptian Cookies
- Gathering to make Kahk and sharing it is a cherished tradition and a beautiful way to connect generations and celebrate cultural heritage.
- A delicious cookie that is not overly sweet, buttery and versatile. These cookies are perfect for sharing.
- This is a simple recipe with simple ingredients that you can find in your nearby stores. No need to purchase kahk essence (reehet el kahk) or a special kahk seasoning blend.
- This Kahk recipe is very easy and has many different fillings, more about that in the variation section.
I remember my grandmother, mom, aunties and all the kids gathering before Eid to make Kahk, Ghraybeh, Petit Fours cookies and more. It was a joyful time we all waited for, especially little kids. Grownups used to give each one of us a piece of Kahk dough to play with and make our own decorations using a tool named 'Manaessh'. A timeless favourite throughout the Middle East.
Ingredients you'll need
Note: This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
- All-purpose flour, just plain flour.
- Ghee is the traditional fat in kahk and it gives the cookies a very distinctive smell.
- Sesame seeds, instant yeast, salt, and cinnamon for flavors.
- Pistachios, honey, and more ghee, flour and sesame to make the pistachio filling.
Adaptable recipe – make it your own!
- For nut allergies, substitute pistachios with other nuts or skip the nut filling altogether and make plain kahk.
- Make Turkish delight filled kahl (Kahk bil Malban), these are usually stuffed with vanilla flavored Turkish Delight with no nuts.
- Kahk Agameya is filled with a sweet honey filling with or without nuts.
- You can also stuff the kahk with nuts without the honey mixture.
- Make Date-Filled Kahk by stuffing them with date paste much like what you do for Ma'amoul.
Before you begin: essential tools
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- A stand mixer, especially if you are making a big batch.
- Optiona: A kahk stamper or a wooden mold like the one for Maamoul.
- Baking sheet
- Large bowl
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Step by step: instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add dry ingredients and mix well until combined.
- Add ghee – room temperature and not melted ghee- into the flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated.
- Add water and continue mixing until you get a nice consistent dough. Cover and let it rest for an hour.
- Prepare the filling. In a small pot over medium heat add ghee or butter then add flour.Cook flour until flour turns golden brown.
- Remove from heat, add sesame and honey mixing well.
- Return mixture to low heat, continue stirring until it thickens.
- Remove from heat, add pistachios and mix well. Let it cool down for 10 minutes then form into 20 small balls. (image 4-6).
- After the hour has passed, start forming cookie dough into golf sized smooth ball.
- Divide the dough equally into 20 balls, of 40gm each approximately. Place dough balls in a plate and cover with plastic wrap.
- Take a ball of the dough and with your thumb make an indentation.
- Put one ball of the pistachio filling in the center, close the dough to form a ball. Images 4 and 5.
- Press lightly into a Mamoul tool or you can just make some engraving using a fork. images 3 and 6.
- Place cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet, bake in a 350F oven.
Your questions answered: FAQs
You can use butter, but ghee gives a more authentic flavor, and it is really what distinguishes these cookies. I do not recommend margarine.
It would make it easier for you is you use a mold but I show you in this recipe how to make it using a fork.
You might be able to get it at the Middle Eastern store, but seriously there is no need to. My mom does not even like it and this is her recipe.
My notes
- Use high quality ghee, I prefer making homemade ghee myself it is not that hard.
- Do not overwork the dough and mix just until everything comes together nicely.
- Do not dust the cookies with powdered sugar until you are ready to serve.
How to store leftovers
Room Temperature: Store kahk in an airtight container on your counter for 2-3 weeks. Refrigerate for longer.
Freeze- You can freeze kahk for up to 3 months. To thaw, place them on a paper towel in a single layer at room temperature.
Perfect pairings: what to serve with
Kahk is usually served with tea or coffee for adults and milk tea or soft drinks and juices for the little ones.
Kahk is usually served on a big platter with a variety of traditional cookies like these ones.
You'll also like
Eid celebration has so many images in my memories, all happy memories filled with joy and new stuff. Read more about this below the recipe.
Kahk- Eid cookies - with pistachios and honey filling
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour.
- a dash of salt - approximately ⅛ teaspoon.
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar.
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
- 3 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds- optional but highly recommended.
- ½ teaspoon dry yeast.
- 1 cup ghee- room temperature and not melted.
- ⅓ cup warm water
For the pistachios and honey filling
- 1 Tablespoon ghee or butter.
- 1 Tablespoon flour.
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds.
- ¼ cup honey.
- ½ cup pistachios coarsely ground.
For garnishing
- Powdered sugar.
Instructions
- In your mixing bowl, add flour, salt, sugar, yeast, cinnamon and sesame seeds.
- Add ghee - room temperature and not melted- and mix until completely incorporated.
- Add water and continue mixing until you get a nice consistent dough.
- Cover and let it rest for an hour.
- Meanwhile, let's prepare the filling. In a small pot over medium heat add ghee or butter then add flour, mix until flour turns golden brown.
- Remove from heat, add sesame and honey mixing well, return mixture to low heat until it thickens.
- Remove from heat, add pistachios and mix well. Let it cool down for 10 minutes then form into 20 small balls.
- After the hour has passed, divide the dough equally into 20 balls, of 40gm each approximately.
- Place dough balls in a plate and cover with plastic wrap.
- Now we'll start filling and shaping the kahk.
- Take a ball of the dough, put one ball of the pistachio filling in the center, close the dough to form a ball.
- Press lightly into a Mamoul tool or you can just make some engraving using a fork.
- Place cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet, bake in a 350 F oven for 20-25 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.
- Let it cool down on a wire rack. Store in an air tight container.
- When ready to enjoy, sprinkle top with powdered sugar.
Video
Notes
- Please check the nutrition disclaimer policy.
Nutrition
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Warm Eid memories
I've so many warm memories of Eid that I am trying to replicate with my kids and will continue the tradition even when they get married and get out of the nest.
First memory: here comes my mom, asking her little girls to go take a shower and put on their new nightgowns We must buy at least one new nightgown or pajama, usually one of each.
Second memory: We all smell clean and fresh, taking out our new outfits for the first day of Eid, our new shoes/sandals, new socks, and new hair bands. A new outfit for each day of Eid, 3 or 4 days depending on which Eid it is, poor dad, he must've paid a fortune with three girls :).
Third memory: In the morning, kids rush to mom and dad, showering them with kisses and hugs and wishing them happy Eid, while they giggle and know what we are after. It is the Eid-eya, which is money given by parents and family members to little kids wishing them a happy Eid.
We visit family members, and they visit us, which means more and more money💰 for us; then, by the end of the day, we sit counting our loot and seeing who got the most, and guess who was that lucky kid? It was me🏆, not that because I was the best or anything, but just because I was the youngest and people tend to be more generous with the cutie patooties hahaha.
Fourth memory: Mom comes in and finds us talking about money, so she just makes this wise decision each time, by saying " why don't we count all the money and split it between the three of you?" 😁 after some " this is not fair" from my side, I surrender; what am I gonna do with money anyways, I'll probably buy a couple of toys or books, and that's it, I already have new clothing... really life was simpler back then, these days if you give a kid $200, he/she can spend it all online in no time!!
In between those fond memories, food played a big part of Eid celebration images, like these Egyptian cookies.
Lent days have started in Egypt this month, and Easter will be on May 1st. In Egypt, Kahk is made by both Muslims and Christians as well to celebrate their holidays. I've made kahk before - back in the days of the point and shoot camera- and I am re-making it now with better photos and a video. Ingredients and slightly different and for the method, I'm making it a little bit healthier by not heating up the ghee as most people do.
I've heard that heating the ghee that much is not good and it gives you digestion problems and lots of heartburn issues. I've reduced the amount of ghee and I've also used ghee at room temperature which is much less in volume than melted ghee.
The filling is to die for, I kept nibbling on it with my kids to the point that I've made some with no filling as it was gone😳. You can of course, make it with no filling, or make a date filling like Maamoul, or fill it with Agameya like I did last time.
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Maria
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. It was so tasty.
Rosa
Hi Amira
Love your recipes. Wanted to ask a question. When I made the Kahk last, the final texture was different. It was a bit soft like on the outer edge. I don’t know if I explained it right. When you touch there’s some biscuit crumbs on your fingers. Never happened to me before. Do you know what I’ve done wrong? Have I not worked the dough enough? Please help me. Thank you.
Ahmed
Never made Kahk in my life, I don't live in Egypt, so the idea of finding the "Kahk Spice Blend" was not exciting. The recipe using only cinnamon and the filling being not "Malban" -which I never liked- made me enthusiastic, but a little worried to try this. I made them cause my mom and dad seemed to be too nostalgic for it, I can't really eat gluten personally lol.
Wphew they loved it and love the filling! The smell is definitely that of Kahk, that's all I can say on my part hehe. It's nice to be able to capture a bit of the "Eid experience/comfort" even if far from home. Thanks!
Gaby
I really want to try these but my mother can't have gluten— is there a specific flour (or mix of flours) you would recommend trying? Thank you!
Amira
I haven't tried making this with any other flour Gaby, but a friend of mine made it with oat flour. Here is her ingredients: 1 1/2 cup oatmeal flour, 1/2 tablespoons baking powder, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds, 1/2 cup ghee, 2 Tablespoons sugar and bout 100 grams of plain yogurt. Please not that I haven't tried this recipe myself. I hope this helps.
Gaby
Thank you so much!! I'm trying this ASAP 🙂
Nina
Kahk works best with gluten free flour. I've made them several times and it works perfectly.
Salamualaikom
Heather
So thankful for this recipe... I'm not Egyptian but my fiancé is. I've made these twice and his family always tells me they taste like the ones his late grandmother Susu would make. Thank you for all the authentic recipes!
Rosie
Thanks Amira- I used coconut oil instead of ghee and they are just as delicious.
Catherine
Way better than my old and trusted recipe I’ve been using for years so thank you Amira.
Just a question…. After adding the 1/3 cup of water the mix was still breadcrumb consistency, so I added more water, is that how it should be?
Amira
Catherine, the dough should not like streusel topping or doughy like bread dough, it shoudl be as you can see in the video/photos and it all depends on the flour used. Thank you so much I am glad you liked it.
Crystal
Amira you are my lifeline to Egyptian cooking. I have struggled w kahk every year. This recipe was easy, simple and got the thumbs up from my family. It also wasn’t HUGE batch which I really appreciated.
Olena
Hi Amira
My ghee is solid in texture and I keep it stored in my pantry not in fridge.
Your pictures shows melted ghee but recipe said don’t melt the ghee?.
Can you please direct how do I make my ghee liquid like yours? Thanks
Amira
It is not melted Olena, it was just on the counter for few hours, try that.
Marwah
Hi Amira,
Thank you so much for your wonderful recipe. I made these last year and they turned out perfectly. But this year when I made them, the 1/3 cup water I added wasn’t enough to hold the dough together. I didn’t want to mix it too much so I tried wrapping it in plastic wrap and letting it sit for a while. After letting it rest for 1 hour, it was still too crumbly so I added more water, but now the kahk are very tough. Do you have any suggestions, or maybe know what I did wrong this time?
Thanks,
Marwah
Maha
Asalam alikum Amira
I want to know when you do the filling wouldnt it make the biscuits soft inside. I am scared of making them. That's what u thought emailing you. Do we gave to use the test. Wish me luck I will try this weekend need to by the nuts.
Amira
Maha, I do not quite understand your question but if you mean that the cookies will be soggy inside then the answer is not, do not worry dear it will not.
Anna
Hi Amira, Can ghee be repalced with butter?
Thx.
Amira
Hello Anna. Some people actually do, but in my opinion it is way better to use ghee.
Faith
Hello! I have a question. Do you have any tips for using the mamoul tool?
Amira
Faith, may I ask what is it that you are struggling with when using the tool? Thanks.
Sarah
Hi,
Do you have the recipes in grams? I would love to make it and making them using hrams would be easier.. thanks
Amira
I am working on it Sarah, thanks for your interest in the recipe.
Sara
Hi Amira,
I love all the details in the recipe like dividing into how many balls and so.
Can you please share the recipe in grams to help us be exact?
Many thanks
Kristen
I made these cookies for my Dad (who loves pistachios). I, of course, saved some for myself! The filling was delicious and could stand on it’s own as a candy. The cookie was soft and not too sweet. Perfect with coffee or tea. My Dad loved them and has requested more for when he returns to PA from Florida in May. Will definitely make these again.
Amira
Thank you so much Kristen for your feedback, so happy that you and your dad liked it. I love the filling too and sometimes I eat it alone 🙂 yes it is that good actually.
Kitty
Incredible cookies! I have made these a few times and they are always fabulous! I follow the recipe to a "t" which I feel you need to when baking. The "crumb" on these is so light and delicate and I love the fact that they are not very sweet. A real gem of a cookie recipe! Thank you so much Amira for sharing! I truly love your recipes! 🙂
Amira
Thank you so much Kitty for your feedback and sweet comment, I am so happy you liked it.
Amie LoGrasso
I want to make this recipe grain free. Do you have any recommendations? Maybe using coconut flour or garbanzo bean flour. I'd rather avoid almond flour. Is there a substitute for the ghee or is that necessary for the cookie part? Maybe butter or coconut oil. Thanks for your help.
Amira
Amie, can you use oats?
Amie LoGrasso
I don't have sesame seeds. I know they are optional but was thinking maybe to substitute with Chia seeds instead. What's your opinion about that?
Amira
Amie, I haven't tried it with chia before. My guess is it will change the texture plus chia will absorb more liquids and might make the dough tough.
Irina
Salam Amira,
The best Kaak Eid I ever tried!
Thank you very much for sharing...
Eid Mubarak.
Amira
Irina, Thank you so much sweetie for trying this recipe. I am happy you liked it. Eid Mubarak to you too.
Diana
Can I substitute Crisco for ghee in the batter?
Amira
Diana, I have never tried this before but my guess is it will jeopardize the flavor so much.
Darlene Barber
As always, love your recipes and blog. These remind me of some of the Italian cookies my family and friends and I make! We use pistachios in some cookies, and always buttery and powdered sugar coated! I'm pretty sure some of your cookie recipes would have sesame seeds, too - also present in lots of our cookies. I love following the thread of similar foods in Mediterranean cooking....
Amira
Thank you Darlene for your sweet comment, I am sure all the Mediterranean countries share a lot of recipes with different names and little tweaks here and there. This region is a gold mine of flavors as well. I love Italian cuisine.
Stacey
Assalaamu alaikum. The yeast is throwing me for a loop. Why do you need yeast? Ive never used it in any related cookie to this. I can't see it doing much to create lift in such a dough. Do you think its a force of habit?
Amira
Stacey, although we do not need much air pockets in cookies, I believe that without leavening agents cookies will fall flat and might come out tough. I think we need some experiments 🙂
Niamh O'Meara
Hi Amira! I'm excited to try these for my Egyptian husband but as I'm allergic to wheat, I'm going to use gluten free flour. If I can't find gluten free yeast, could I substitute baking powder instead? Thank you!
Amira
Nimah, I have no experience with gluten free flour but I have seen people use baking powder with all purpose flour for this recipe. Hope this helps.
Angie Ghali
Hi,do you have a recipe for the fig filling? I want to surprise my family with these for Christmas likey grandmother made
Amira
Angie, I've never tasted Kahk stuffed with fig mixture, but I did for Maamoul. But frankly I do not see why not?! It would be a great idea. Anyways, the fig stuffing that I know of is as follows: 300g Figs, 1 Tablespoon Ghee, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. The fig must be processed to a paste like consistency and add all the spices then stuff your cookies with it. I hope this would help. Let me know if you need something else.
Mike H.
I made these this afternoon and they are delicious. I like that they are not too sweet. I followed the directions exactly and they turned out great. The only thing I had a little trouble with was judging the amount of material to use for each of the balls so I would have 20. When I finished making the dough balls I only had 16 balls, so I had to take a little from a few of them and reform them to get the 20. I also had a little bit of trouble hiding the pistachio nut mixture core in a few and you can see in the picture that a few of them the core oozed out a little. No big deal, they still baked fine and turned out great. I bought a mamoul tool from my local middle eastern store too. Thank you Amira for another great recipe with easy to follow instructions.
Amira
Oh Mike, your detailed comments about your experience with a recipe is highly appreciated, Thank you so much for taking the time to guide others as well. I do not see a picture.. I do not know where did it go!! Please try to upload it again if you can. You reminded me of the first time I made these cookies, pistachio mixture oozed out of some and we had this friend who kept eating from these saying they are better than the normal ones :).
Marwah
Hi Amira! I made this recipe today for the upcoming Eid and it turned out perfectly - just the way my mom used to make them! I have tried making kahk in the past and it just never seemed to work. I was so intimidated by it, I didn’t try again for years. I am so happy I was able to finally find a recipe that worked! I didn’t have ghee, so I made my own clarified butter and used that instead. I just filled them with toasted walnuts like my mom used to and it brought back so many happy memories when I bit into one. Thank you again for sharing your wonderful recipe and your clear instructions! Eid Mubarak!
Amira
Marwah, your comment brought tears to my eyes. I really like it not only when people succeed and like a recipe but when it brings back good old memories of home. Thank you so much for your wonderful comment, you made my day girl!
Kt Eldeib
Trying these for my husband to make him feel less homesick for Eid 🙂 I’m at high altitude and the dough turned out a little dry at first. For the second half I added a bit more water and am hoping they turn out! Smell heavenly!
Amira
Kt, I work in high altitude myself, so feel free to adjust according to your baking senses. Let me know how it went with you.
Ola
Yield how many cookies and what is the nutrition facts please ?
Amira
This gives 20 cookies approximately. It depends of course on the size of the cookies you are making but I divided my filling into 20 to make 20 cookies. The nutritional facts will be up soon.
Ola
Thank you
Muha
Salams. Can i use butter and/or oil instead of the ghee? If So, how much?
Amira
I haven’t tried that before Muha, my guess is you can do with butter but reduce the amount of water.
Nadia Mehkri
Salam Excited to see all the recepie s will try them
Amira
Salam Nadia, I hope you'll like recipes around here. please let me know if you have a question about anything.
Emy
any other options instead of pistachios
Amira
Emy, of course. Use any nut or nut combination you like. Traditionally pistachios or walnuts are used but use whatever you like. You can also make them plain and sometime people stuff them with Turkish delights.
Christine Wetzker
This smells so good! I can't wait to eat one.
Amira
Christine, I totally get it, the smell of honey and ghee oooooh out of this world. Thank you for your sweet comment, I'm happy you like it.
Nash Stanley
These turned out amazing! Tried them twice already, my family loved them.
Amira
Nash, happy that you liked them. Thanks for the feedback.
Kris Fixari
I love your recipes haven't tries this one yet but will for Christmas. From what I read it is an Easter cookie but a Holiday is a Holiday when cookies are present!
Amira
Well it is a very delicious kind of cookies and Egyptian Christians make it as well after the lent is over to celebrate. Thanks, I hope you'll like it.
Fran @ G'day Souffle'
I love the imprint decorations on the cookies. I have eaten these types of cookies before- I remember the light, airy texture as I bit into them. I see that you have changed the name of your blog!
Joanne T Ferguson
These cookies look absolutely delicious Amrita and I could go for one of these right now with my tea!