MAIN INGREDIENTS
Barazek is a delicious cookie from Syria, made of dough from flour, ghee, and sugar, covered with roasted sesame and a bit of pistachio. It is served on holidays as a luxury dessert and is one of the most famous Syrian sweets, particularly during Eid.
A sweet specialty hailing from Aleppo, karabij halab is a semolina flour cookie filled with a crunchy nut mixture and flavored with rose and orange blossom water. This sweet treat is typically made with semolina flour dough, topped with a mixture of ground pistachios or walnuts, sugar, ghee, cinnamon, and fragrant water, pinched closed, and then baked until nicely colored.
Karabij halab, named after Halab - Aleppo’s ancient name, is typically shaped by hand, but it can also be molded in special, carved molds. The dessert is usually accompanied by natef - a type of white cream made from soapwort root - and is traditionally prepared on special occasions and holidays, such as Eid Al-Fitr.
Ma'amoul is an ancient cookie filled with fruits and nuts such as dates, walnuts, and pistachios. The cookies are traditionally prepared for Easter, festivals, and celebrations, and they are typically shaped into balls or domes. In order to differentiate the cookies, the walnut version is usually shaped into a dome with a round top, the date ma'amoul is shaped into a dome with a flat top, while the pistachio ma'amoul has an elongated, oval shape.
It is not uncommon for the cookies to be topped with powdered sugar for extra sweetness, and they are often served with coffee or tea during the day in many Middle Eastern households.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “3 Worst Rated Syrian Cookies” list until March 26, 2025, 2,511 ratings were recorded, of which 109 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.