Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
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Shakalama, the Egyptian coconut macaroons—sticky, slightly crisp on the outside, and soft, chewy inside, often adorned with a bright red cherry in the center for a pop of color and sweetness.
Recipe at a Glance
- Cuisine: Egyptian Cuisine
- Primary Cooking Method: Oven
- Dietary Info: Vegetarian
- Key Flavor: Sweet . Nutty . slightly . toasty
- Skill Level: Beginner-Intermediate
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar or superfine sugar work equally well.
- Himalayan Salt: A pinch of salt is essential—never use sugar without it (a golden rule I learned from the best!).
- Desiccated Coconut: Always choose unsweetened for the right balance of flavor.
- Flour: Just one heaped spoonful of all-purpose flour is enough.
- Vanilla: Paste, extract, or powder can be used interchangeably.
- Honey: White honey is ideal, but glucose syrup makes a fine substitute.
- Cherry Glacé (optional): Lends a cheerful pop of color and charm.
- Baking Powder: Gives the cookies their airy, puffed texture.
How to Make Shakalma
Beat the eggs with the sugar and honey.
Te egg-sugar mixture should become pale, fluffy and foamy.
Gradually add the coconut, flour and baking powder.
The shakalama batter should look like a shaggy mass.
Use an ice cream scoop to shape the shakalama.
Bake for 15 in a preheated oven at 36 until the edges are golden brown.
More Cookies Recipes
Shakalama (Egyptian Coconut Macaroons Recipe)
Shakalama, the Egyptian coconut macaroons—sticky, slightly crisp on the outside, and soft, chewy inside, often adorned with a bright red cherry in the center for a pop of color and sweetness.
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Ingredients
- 2 large eggs at room temperature , Use 3 eggs if you plan on piping the cookie batter.
- ½ cup granulated white sugar or super fine
- ½ teaspoon fine salt , preferably Himalayan
- 1 teaspoon vanilla, or 1 teaspoon of vanilla powder
- 2 cups desiccated coconut
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder , optional, see notes
- Cherries glacé, optional
Glaze
- ¼ cup white honey
Instructions
- Beat the eggs, vanilla, honey and sugar for 8-10 minutes or until it triples in size and becomes airy, fluffy and foamy.
- Fold in gradually the coconut and flour in a circular motion, using a spatula. Avoid deflating the airy eggs-sugar mixture.
- Use a cookie scoop to shape equally-sized cookies and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a mini tart mold. Top each cookie with a segment of a cherry glacé.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180 ° for 15 minutes, or until it is golden brown.
- Warm up the honey in the microwave for 1 minute or on low-medium heat for a 2-3 minute until it becomes runny to glaze the shakalama.
- Brush the cookies with the glaze. Transfer them to a metal rack, let them come to room temperature.
- Store them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for 4 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
- Serve Shakalma as a dessert or snack with tea or coffee.
Nermine's Notes
- You can make this recipe using 2 eggs, in case you shape the cookie by hand, yet add one extra egg if you want to use a piping bag to shape the cookies.
- All the ingredients should be at room temperature to end up with a maleable cookie batter that you can shape the way you want.
- Baking powder is optional in this recipe. It will help the cookie puff better but you can perfectly make shakalama without it, if you prefer it dense.
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