Sekerpare - Turkish Semolina Cookies in Syrup

Sekerpare is a classic Turkish pastry made with semolina, flour and powdered sugar that are then baked until golden brown and left to steep in sweet syrup. The syrup makes it particularly moist. Sekerpare is one of Turkey's most beloved desserts after baklava and you will find them in every Turkish bakery and restaurant. These little treats are something special. And as soon as they go into the oven, the heavenly aroma will lure the whole family into the kitchen. Sekerpare translates as ‘sugar pieces’ or ‘a piece of sweetness’, and this Turkish dessert is definitely SWEET. I didn’t even pour all the sugar syrup over the cookies...my family actually finds them better without syrup. If you want to make them round, I would suggest that you top each cookie with a whole hazelnut or almond.
Before starting the dough, we will make the syrup first, as it needs some time to cool down. Pour the cooled syrup over hot Sekerpare and let the sekerpare cookies absorb the syrup as they cool. Once all the syrup absorbed (usually 3-4 hours), sekerpare will be soft and tender enough to eat with a fork. Enjoy them with a a cup of tea or coffee.

Dough	Syrup
250 g Unsalted butter, softened 100 g Powdered sugar ½ tsp Pure vanilla powder 2 Eggs (one yolk for glaze) 350 g Plain flour 120 g Semolina 1 tbsp Baking powder 1/3 tsp Baking soda 2 tbsp Pistachios, ground	Juice and zest of 1 small organic lemon 350 g Sugar 500 ml Water 1 Vanilla bean, split lengthwise (optional)

First, prepare the sugar syrup. Peel the lemon and squeeze the juice. Place the water and sugar in a in a heavy sauce pan over the medium heat and bring to the boil. Stir and let the sugar dissolve.
Place the vanilla bean on a chopping board and split the vanilla bean in half by running a sharp knife down the length of the bean. Scrape out the seeds and add to the sugar with lemon juice and peel. Reduce the heat and simmer for a 10-15 minutes for the syrup to thicken slightly. Turn the heat off and set the syrup aside to cool.
For the dough, cream together the butter, vanilla powder and icing sugar. Then add the 1 whole egg and 1 egg white and mix well. Add the semolina and mix. Finally, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and knead into a dough.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Take small pieces of dough and shape them into ovals. You can also make them into rounds if you prefer. Place the sekerpare on the prepared baking trays, leaving some space in between as they will expand while baking.
Beat the remaining egg yolk and brush the tops of sekerpare. Use a fork to make patterns on the surface.
Bake in the middle of hot oven for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. Remove the tray from the oven and, while it is still hot, pour the warm syrup evenly over the top. Cover the tray with cling film and let the cookies absorb the syrup for at least 3-4 hours (or up to overnight) until they turn moist and tender. Sprinkle with ground pistachios before serving.