Hurmašice 🍪 Bosnian Syrup Cookies 🇧🇦 (Semolina Cookies)

Description

Soft, buttery semolina cookies baked to golden and soaked in lemony syrup—sweet, tender, and unmistakably Balkan. 🍋🍯

Hook: Make-ahead dessert that gets better overnight—mix, bake, soak, done. ⚡

Ingredients

• Syrup
• 💧 Water: 600 ml (2½ cups / 20 fl oz)
• 🍚 Granulated sugar: 450 g (2¼ cups / 15.9 oz)
• 🍋 Fresh lemon juice: 15 ml (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• 🍋 Lemon peel, wide strips (optional): 2
• 🌿 Vanilla extract (or ½ vanilla pod): 5 ml (1 tsp / 0.17 fl oz)
• Dough
• 🧈 Unsalted butter, melted & cooled: 120 g (½ cup / 4.2 oz)
• 🫗 Neutral oil (sunflower): 60 ml (¼ cup / 2 fl oz)
• 🥛 Plain yogurt: 200 g (¾ cup / 7 oz)
• 🥚 Eggs: 2 large (≈100 g / 3.5 oz)
• 🍚 Sugar: 80 g (⅓ cup / 2.8 oz)
• 🌿 Vanilla extract: 5 ml (1 tsp / 0.17 fl oz)
• 🍋 Finely grated lemon zest: 2 g (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🌾 Fine semolina (griz): 250 g (1½ cups / 8.8 oz)
• 🌾 All-purpose flour: 200 g (1⅔ cups / 7.1 oz)
• 🧂 Salt: 1 g (⅙ tsp / 0.04 oz)
• 🔺 Baking powder: 10 g (2 tsp / 0.35 oz)
• 🌰 Ground walnuts (optional core or topping): 60 g (½ cup / 2.1 oz)
• To finish
• 🌰 Extra ground walnuts, for sprinkling: 30 g (¼ cup / 1 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Syrup first: Simmer water, sugar, lemon peel, and vanilla 8–10 min. Off heat, stir in lemon juice. Cool completely.
2. 2️⃣ Wet mix: Whisk melted butter, oil, yogurt, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest.
3. 3️⃣ Dry mix: Combine semolina, flour, salt, and baking powder. Fold into the wet base to form a soft dough. Rest 10 min to hydrate.
4. 4️⃣ Shape: Scoop pieces (~35–40 g). Roll into short logs (6–7 cm), press gently on a grater or fork for ridges. (Optional: press ½ tsp walnuts inside and seal.)
5. 5️⃣ Bake: Arrange on a parchment-lined pan. Bake at 180°C / 350°F 22–28 min until deep golden.
6. 6️⃣ Soak: While cookies are hot, pour cool syrup over them in the pan (they should be mostly submerged). Rest 30–60 min, turning once, until plump and glossy.
7. 7️⃣ Serve: Sprinkle with extra walnuts. Best after a few hours or next day.

Total Time

🕒 Prep: 25 min
🔥 Cook: 25 min
⏳ Total: 50 min

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