Eid Shortbread
Traditional Eid shortbread cookies from Homs, Syria — crisp, buttery, and fragrant with fennel seeds and mahleb. Known as أقراص العيد in Arabic, these are a staple of Eid celebrations.
Method
A treasured Eid recipe from Homs — the kind of cookie that fills the house with the smell of ghee and fennel, and disappears from the tray before it’s had time to cool.
Roast the fennel seeds (or cardamom pods if substituting) in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 2–3 minutes. Grind to a fine powder.
In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients: flour, sugar, ground fennel, mahleb, yeast, and salt.
Melt the ghee and let it cool slightly — it should be warm but not hot enough to kill the yeast. Add the ghee and warm water to the dry ingredients.
Knead well until you have a smooth, cohesive dough.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 180°C with top and bottom heat.
Roll the dough out into a thin layer on a lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes — traditionally circles with ridges using a small quiche mould, or simply cut circles with a cup.
Place the cut pieces on an oven tray. Use a fork to poke each cookie — this prevents them from puffing up during baking. You can get creative with the fork pattern.
Place the tray on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Watch closely as they can go from golden to burnt quickly.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the tray before handling — they firm up as they cool.
Notes
The totalTime does not include the 2 hours of resting. Fennel seeds can be replaced with cardamom pods for a different flavor profile. Makes about 40 cookies depending on the mould and thickness. These keep well in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
