Kahak Bel Agameya is by far, the king of all Egyptian cookies. It is a flaky cookie stuffed with Agameya, a candy like filling made of ghee, flour, sesame, and nuts. 

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What is Egyptian Kahak Bel Agameya

Egyptian religious feasts are incomplete without Kahk (Festive Egyptian cookies). No one made better Kahk Bel Agameya than my late beloved grandma Aida. She was famous for those melt-in-your-mouth Egyptian cookies filled with Agameya, a candy-like filling that she also made from scratch. Adeptly, my grandma Aida eyeballed all her Kahk ingredients, and had limited faith in cups and spoons for measuring.  She could make Kahk in her sleep if she wanted to, this is how much she knew her recipe by heart. Unsurprisingly, she never wrote her Kahk recipe either and sadly, no one asked for it. No one really dared  to ask or even tried to make Kahk while grandma Aida, the family’s Matriarch, was with us. It is only when grandma Aida left our world that we figured how much we took her presence and her homemade dishes for granted. When I immigrated to the US and started a family there, I figured that I became the matriarch of my family. No aunt or neighbor was dropping kahk at my doorstep. I had to learn  how to make our family signature Kahk to give my kids a taste of my Eid (feast) memories. Many thanks to Chef Vivian Farid who helped make the closest Kahk to the one I grew up with.

How to Make Kahk Bel Agameya step-by-step

Despite its elaborate appearance, Kahk is so simple to make, yet there are a couple of success tips that you better be aware of. Read carefully the step-by-step directions below, where I dissect the recipe of this heritage cookie, to make it as easy as cracking an egg.

Step 1: Make the Agameya

First, start by making the Agameya, as it has to cool down before you shape it into hazelnut-size balls for the Kahk stuffing.  I strongly recommend that you make the Agameya one day ahead of making the Kahk. Shape it into tiny balls and place them in the fridge until you are ready to stuff the Kahk. Luckily, the basic ingredients of Agameya are available across the globe. However, choose your honey well as it affects the whole texture and flavor of the Agameya.  At all costs, avoid dark types of honey and pick one that has a light amber color such as Wildflower honey. To make Agameya, melt the ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat, when it becomes fragrant, add the flour and whisk vigorously until a golden paste forms. Stir in the honey, and whisk until it is well incorporated. Lower the heat and keep whisking for 8-10 minutes until the mixture thickens. Toss in the toasted sesame and the nuts. Let it cool to room temperature for one hour. Shape it into balls in the size of hazelnuts. This is a make ahead filling that you can keep in the fridge or freezer. NOTE: The sesame is essential in Agameya, yet the nuts are totally optional.

Step 2: Make Rihet AL Kahk 

Rihet means “essence” and Kahk means “cookies”, together they mean “the essence of the Kahk.” Rihet Al Kahk is basically a spice blend designated for this type of festive cookies, and is available to buy in baking supplies stores and spice shops. Personally, I like to make my own blend so I can have control over the notes that I favor. Additionally,  I prefer the spices’ notes in these cookies to be subtle and not overpowering. There are different formulas for Rihet El Kahak, in some Mahleb is omitted and in others it is included. Personally, my favorite Rihet El Kahk blend contains: rose petals, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, mastic, mahleb, and cardamom. You will find the exact portions of each spice in the recipe below. If you decide to make your own spice blend, then I strongly advise that you dry toast the spices first in a cast iron skillet on low heat. Toasting the spices could take up to 5 minutes or until they become fragrant. Don’t walk away as the spices will become bitter if they burn. Once the spices are toasted, add them to the container of a spice grinder and finely grind them. Store them in an airtight jar and keep it in your pantry until you are ready to use them. Note: Make the Rihet El Kahk ahead of time and store it in an airtight container.

Step 4: Make the cookie dough 

Combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, Rihet Al Kahk, and toasted sesame) in a large mixing bowl. Melt the ghee in a medium saucepan on low heat and don’t let the ghee sizzle or boil. The ghee should just melt. Please note that letting ghee come to a sizzling point affects the texture and the taste of the Kahk. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and carefully add the melted ghee. With a spatula, mix the melted ghee into the dry ingredients until the flour is totally coated with the ghee. Let this dough sit until you prepare the yeast-water mixture. In a small deep bowl, add 1 tablespoon of yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 cup of warm water. Mix well until the sugar is dissolved and the yeast is incorporated in the water. Set it aside until it becomes frothy and foamy.

Slowly incorporate the yeast-water mixture into the dough and knead with your hands. First use 3/4 of the yeast-water mixture, and only add the remaining 1/4 cup if the dough is dry and needs more liquid. Keep kneading until a soft, smooth dough comes together. Step 4:  Shape, stuff & pinch  To shape the Kahk, use a cookie scoop to form cookies of equal size. Roll each scoop of dough into a smooth ball. Take a dough ball and flatten it. Hold it in the center of your palm and cup it. Place a Agameya ball in the center. Bring the edges of the dough together. Pinch the dough to seal well and then smoothen it out. Press slightly into a disc. Make sure to not use too much filling, or the cookies will crack and the filling will leak out during the baking.

Use a traditional Egyptian tweezer to pinch the surface of the Kahk or use  cookie stamps.

Arrange all the cookies on the baking tray with 1/2 inch space in between.

Step 4: Baking 

Preheat the oven to 360°F or 180 °C. Place the Kahk trays on the middle metal rack of the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes maximum or until the cookies bottom are light golden brown. Let the cookies cool completely on a metal rack

Step 5: Serve 

Sprinkle Kahk with powdered sugar and serve with tea and coffee.

Make-ahead & freezer friendly 

You can definitely make Kahk ahead of time and place it in the fridge for 2 -3 weeks.

Check more Egyptian festive cookies 

You might also like:

• Petit Four
• Ghorayeba

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Kahk Bel Agameya (Egyptian Agameya-Filled Cookies): كحك بالعجمية

Nermine Mansour

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Cuisine Egyptian

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Equipment

• Kahk tweezer
• Cookie Stamp
• Cookie Scoop
• Nonstick medium saucepan
• Nonstick baking trays

Ingredients

  

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Kahk Dough

• ▢ 1 kg flour
• ▢ 3 tablespoons whipping cream powder or corn starch
• ▢ 3 tablespoons toasted sesame
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Rihet El Kahk
• ▢ ½ kg 500 grams melted ghee
• ▢ 1 cup lukewarm water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon yeast
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon rose water, optional
• ▢ Agameyah filling, recipe follows

Agameyah (candy-like filling)

• ▢ 2 tablespoons ghee
• ▢ 3 tablespoons flour
• ▢ 1 cup honey
• ▢ 1 tablespoon toasted sesame
• ▢ ½ cup toasted nuts of your choice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon orange blossom
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Rihet Al Kahk

Rihet Al Kahak (Kahak Spice blend)

• ▢ 2 teaspoons rose petals
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• ▢ 1 teaspoon allspice
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Garnish

• ▢ ¼ -1/2 cup powdered sugar

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Instructions

 

• Make the Agameyah. Melt the ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it becomes fragrant, add the flour, and whisk vigorously until a golden paste forms. Stir in the honey, and whisk until it is well incorporated. Lower the heat and keep whisking for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Toss in the toasted sesame and the nuts. Let it cool to room temperature for one hour. Shape it into balls in the size of hazelnuts.
• Prepare the yeast-water mixture. Add the sugar, yeast, and warm water to a deep bowl, or a cup, and stir very well. Then set it aside for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture is frothy and foamy.
• Make the Kahk dough. Melt the ghee over low heat. The ghee should only melt and not sizzle. Add the flour to a large mixing bowl, stir in the whipping cream powder (or cornstarch), salt, and Rihet Al Kahk (Kahk spices). Make a well in the middle and add gradually the ghee while mixing it with the flour. The flour should be thoroughly coated with the ghee. Stir in 3/4 the frothy yeast mixture and mix well with your hands. Add the remaining 1/4 of the yeast mixture, only if the dough is till dry and needs more liquid. Stir in a spoonful of rose water and knead until a soft dough comes together. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
• Roll the Kahk. Use a 1/2 inch cookie scoop to shape equal sized cookies.
• Pinch the Kahk. Use traditional tweezers or a stamper to create a pattern on the Kahk.
• Bake. Place the Kahk in a preheated oven at 350 F or 160 ° C for 10-12 minutes or until the bottom is golden. Transfer the cookies to a metal rack and let them come to room temperature before you garnish them with the powdered sugar.
• Garnish. Use a fine mesh sieve or a powder sugar duster to garnish the Kahk.
• Store. Keep the Kahk in an airtight container for 4 days outside the fridge or a month inside the fridge.

Nermine's Notes

1 kg of flour can make up to 3 kilos of Kahk or 80 Kahk cookies .

You better make the Agameya and Rihet Al Kahk in advance 1-3 days in advance.

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Keyword Christmas cookies, Egyptian cookies, Egyptian Feasts