Balkan Sheqerpare Recipe

Sheqerpare is a traditional Turkish and Balkan dessert which consists of cookies soaked in syrup. The cookies are made from eggs, butter, sugar, flour and baking soda.

The ingredients are mixed into a dough which is then broken into smaller pieces and shaped into cookies. The cookies are baked then soaked in a simple syrup for several hours before eating. It is enjoyed as a snack or dessert and served with coffee or raki.

Raki is an alcoholic drink made from grapes and flavored with aniseed. Sheqerpare is known as  Şekerpare in Turkey. Both sheqer and seker mean sugar. The cookie is similar to a shortbread or butter cookie. The syrup is made from water and sugar and is sometimes lightly flavored.

The Turkish variation is made with semolina flour in addition to regular wheat flour and the cookies are topped with almonds before baking. The syrup is usually lemon flavored.

Other regions also top the cookie with their preferred nut such as walnuts and pistachios and prefer spice flavored syrups like cinnamon.

There are also city variations within specific regions. The city of Dibra, Albania make sheqerpare with a high ratio of eggs which makes the cookie very moist and dense.

Origin and Cultural Significance

Sheqerpare originated in Turkey where its roots trace back to the ottoman empire. From Turkey its popularity spread to near Balkan regions where each have put their own spin in the dessert to suit their tastes.

The Balkan region includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia, while Greece and Turkey have parts of their territory within the Balkan Peninsula.  

It’s considered a comfort and holiday treat which is still special enough to be served in restaurants.

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Balkan Sheqerpare Recipe

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 42 minutes

Sheqerpare is a traditional Turkish and Balkan dessert which consists of cookies soaked in syrup. The cookies are made from eggs, butter, sugar, flour and baking soda.

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Ingredients

Sheqerpare Dough

• Egg yolks - 3
• Egg (whole) - 1
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Butter - 8 tbsps
• All-purpose flour - 2 ¼ cups
• Baking soda - ¼ tsp
• Vanilla extract - 1 tbsp

Sheqerpare Syrup

• Sugar - 2 cups
• Water - 2 ½ cups
• Vanilla extract - 1 tbsp
• Lemon - 1 slice

Instructions

1. Add sugar, water and vanilla into a small saucepan over high heat.
2. Once syrup boils, add lemon slice and lower heat to low.
3. After 5 minutes, turn heat off and let the syrup cool.
4. Melt 8 tbsps of butter.
5. Remove from heat when it has almost all melted, the residual heat will melt the rest.
6. Set aside so it cools down.
7. Add the 3 egg yolks and 1 whole egg in a mixing bowl.
8. Add 1 cup sugar and start whisking.
9. Once eggs and sugar are creamy, slowly add the butter while whisking.
10. Add vanilla extract and continue whisking.
11. Mix the flour with baking soda.
12. Spoon the flour into the egg mixture, a few tablespoons at a time.
13. When the dough becomes too thick to whisk, switch to a spatula. Use hands if needed.
14. If the mix feels too slippery, refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes or so.
15. Separate the dough in 12 rolls and shape into round cookies.
16. Add each to a baking tray. Separate the cookies by about 1 inch so they don't run into each other while baking.
17. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
18. Bake cookies for about 30 minutes, only until lightly golden.
19. Add the cool syrup over the hot cookies or hot syrup on cool cookies.
20. Allow the cookies to absorb the syrup over several hours or overnight.