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    Cooking Gorgeous » Pastries & Sweets

    Turkish Cookies (Elmali Kurabiye)

    Published: Sep 10, 2021 · Modified: May 13, 2022 by Ayla Clulee · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Turkish Cookies (Elmali Kurabiye) are delicious melt-in-the-mouth pastries made with crispy cookie dough filled with apple, cinnamon, and walnuts. These traditional cookies are commonly sold in almost every pastry shop in Turkey.

    Jump to:
    • Why This Recipe Works?
    • Ingredients & Substitutes for Turkish Cookies
    • Step-by-Step Instructions
    • Related Recipes
    • Top Tip From the Chef
    • Turkish Cookies (Elmali Kurabiye)

    This is the perfect time for apples and I love the smell of them when cooked with cinnamon and sugar. It is a great reminder of my childhood memories as my mom used to make these delicious Turkish cookies quite often! What makes my Apple Crumble recipe so special and delicious is probably the same reason: Cooking the apples with cinnamon and sugar!

    Turkish cookies filled with apple, walnuts, and cinnamon

    This simple recipe was given to me by my mom years ago and it never let me down. The delicious and crispy pastry is very similar to a pie pastry but much easier to shape. Lemon zest is optional and you can replace it with vanilla paste or orange zest if you prefer. I chopped the walnuts very finely but you can chop them in chunky bites if you want to achieve a crunchier texture.

    Why This Recipe Works?

    • This recipe is very easy to follow with step-by-step instructions.
    • It's the perfect combination of apples, cinnamon and walnuts.
    • You only need a few pantry ingredients that you might already have in hand.
    • They freeze beautifully!

    Ingredients & Substitutes for Turkish Cookies

    Ingredients for Turkish Apple Cookies (Elmali Kurabiye)
    • Apples - You can use any sweet cooking apples such as Braeburn, Honeycrisp, Bramley and Cox's are best for these cookies. Peel or keep the skin on and grate them before cooking.
    • Sugar - I use caster sugar but granulated or brown sugar would work perfectly too. Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste and the apples you use.
    • Cinnamon - I love adding a spoonful of cinnamon powder to the apple filling for intense flavour. You can omit it if you find it too strong or use it just a little.
    • Walnuts - Baking with nuts is a great way to add flavour and texture to your crumble. Use pecan or hazelnuts if you prefer. Lightly toast them for a more intense flavour before adding them to your baked goods.
    • Butter - This recipe recalls softened butter. Keep your butter at room temperature for a couple of hours (depending on the room temperature) until it is soft.
    • Yoghurt - Use plain or natural yoghurt with no sugar & flavour added. Yoghurt gives the pastry a fluffy and light texture.
    • Baking powder - It helps to increase the volume and lighten the texture of the pastry.
    • Plain white flour - It is also known as all-purpose flour. It is perfect for making cakes, cookies, pastries and thickening sauces.
    • Icing Sugar - It has a tiny bit of cornstarch and a powdery consistency which gives a more crumbly texture to the pastry.
    • Lemon zest - It is the yellow outside of its peel without going to the white part which is bitter and unpleasant. It adds a tangy flavour and a citrusy smell to the cookies. You can replace it with vanilla paste.

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    This is a very simple recipe and to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:

    Prepare the Apple Filling

    Peel and grate the apples. Place a pan on medium heat and add the grated apples, cinnamon and sugar to the pan and cook them until soft, for about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the filling cool down while preparing the cookie dough. Add the walnuts when the filling is cooled down and mix well.

    Prepare the Cookie Dough

    Preheat the fan oven to 170 °C. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and add the softened butter, baking powder, icing sugar, yoghurt and lemon zest. Mix them with your fingertips gently until combined. Return the mixture to a worktop and form a nice soft dough. 

    Shape the Cookies and Bake

    Roll the dough into a log and then cut it into 5 equal pieces (approximately 140 grams each) and turn them into balls. Lightly flour the worktop, sprinkle some flour on a dough ball and roll it out into a 20 cm (8") dia circle (approximately ½ cm thick).

    Cut the circle into 8 equal triangles and place a teaspoon of apple filling on the wide side of each triangle. Roll them up into a cylinder and place them on a baking paper-lined tray.

    Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Sprinkle some icing sugar on top when they are still warm.

    Turkish Cookies (Elmali Kurabiye) are ready to go into the oven

    Related Recipes

    For more scrumptious sweet treats why not try:

    • Apple and Blackberry Pie
    • Sekerpare (Turkish Semolina Cookies)
    • Turkish Pistachio Baklava
    • Apple and Blueberry Crumble
    • Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
    • Strawberry Mille Feuille
    • Best Apple Crumble Recipe
    • Eclair Cake (Ekpa Pasta)
    • Revani - Turkish Semolina Cake
    • Irmik Helvasi (Turkish Semolina Halva)
    How to store apple cookies?

    The best way to store these lovely cookies is at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you want to keep them longer, refrigerate them for up to 5 days or freeze them for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

    Top Tip From the Chef

    To save some time, you can prepare the filling in advance and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days until you need it.

    I hope you enjoy the process of making these delightful Turkish Apple Rolls as much as you enjoy eating them!🙂

    Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!

    Did you make this recipe?

    Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

    Turkish apple cookies

    Turkish Cookies (Elmali Kurabiye)

    Ayla Clulee
    These crumbly Turkish cookies are filled with cinnamon, apple & walnut filling for extra deliciousness.
    5 from 15 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 50 mins
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine Turkish
    Servings 40 pieces
    Calories 68 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 kitchen scale
    • 1 Citrus zester
    • 1 baking sheet
    • 1 Apple Corer

    Ingredients
     
     

    For the Apple Filling

    • 3 medium apples (any apples you like cooking with) (400 grams)
    • ¼ cup sugar (50 grams)
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 80 grams walnuts (finely chopped)

    For the Cookie Dough

    • 250 grams butter (room temperature)
    • 1 tablespoon natural yoghurt
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 400 g plain white flour / all purpose flour
    • 1 lemon zest
    • 30 g icing sugar (plus extra for dusting)

    Instructions
     

    Preparing the Apple Filling

    • Peel and grate the apples.
    • Place a pan on medium heat and add the apples, cinnamon, and sugar to the pan.
    • Cook the apples until soft, for about 10 minutes.
    • Remove the pan from the heat and let the filling cool down while preparing the cookie dough.
    • Add the walnuts when the filling is cooled down and mix well.

    Preparing the Cookie Dough

    • Preheat the fan oven to 170 °C.
    • Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and add the softened butter, baking powder, icing sugar, yogurt, and lemon zest.
    • Mix them with your fingertips gently until combined.
    • Return the mixture to a worktop and form a nice soft dough.
    • Roll the dough into a log and cut into 5 equal pieces (approximately 140 grams each) and turn them into balls.
    • Lightly flour the worktop, sprinkle some flour on a dough ball, and roll it out into a 20 cm (8") dia circle (approximately ½ cm thick).
    • Cut the circle into 8 equal triangles and place a teaspoon of apple filling on the wide side of each triangle.
    • Roll them up into a log shape and place them on a baking paper-lined tray.
    • Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned.
    • Sprinkle some icing sugar on top when they are still warm.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 68kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 18mgPotassium: 43mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 19IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cookingorgeous or tag #cookingorgeous!

    Food safety

    • Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
    • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Never leave cooking food unattended
    • Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
    • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

    This post use affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and then buy something, we get a small amount of commission to keep the site running, but it doesn’t cost you anything more.

    « Pide Turkish (Kiymali Pide)
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. OLIVER

      September 11, 2021 at 6:41 am

      5 stars
      Great Recipe

      Reply
      • Ayla Clulee

        September 11, 2021 at 7:09 am

        Thank you Oliver 🙂

        Reply
    2. Kadir Bora

      November 13, 2021 at 11:17 am

      5 stars
      Elinize emeğinize sağlık, teşekkürler...

      Reply
      • Ayla Clulee

        November 13, 2021 at 11:28 am

        Rica ederim Kadir Bey, umarım deneyip begenmissinizdir.
        Saygilarimla
        Ayla

        Reply
    3. Zula

      January 01, 2022 at 3:49 pm

      5 stars
      Hi, I have just made this cookies. They are delicious! However it was difficult to work with the dough which was tearing very easily. It was very hard to roll the triangles in without the dough tearing.
      Is this dough supposed to be that soft and "fragile"?
      The only thing I changed is that I added greek yoghurt instead regular yoghurt.

      Reply
      • Ayla Clulee

        January 01, 2022 at 5:27 pm

        Hi Zula,
        I am glad you have found the cookies delicious! And thanks for your feedback.
        The type of yogurt as well as the humidity in the air affects the consistency of the dough. Next time if you don't have natural yogurt and you have to use Greek yogurt again, try to adjust the consistency of the dough by adding more flour. You should have a soft but workable dough (i.e. a dough that doesn't break easily). I hope you find this helpful for the next time and please feel free to reach out if anything is unclear.
        Best wishes and Happy New Year
        Ayla

        Reply
        • Zula

          January 05, 2022 at 1:56 am

          Ayla,
          Thank you so much for your kind reply.
          I am making those cookies again tomorrow so I will adjust flour accordingly. Thanks!
          They are exceptionally delicious! They also freeze very well. Thawed in microwave they tasted just like freshly baked!

          Reply
    4. Zahar

      March 19, 2022 at 2:48 pm

      5 stars
      Melt in the mouth cookies, as it is described! A new favourite in the household.

      Reply
    5. Mary Ann

      April 03, 2022 at 11:35 am

      5 stars
      These are the best apple cookies ever. I’ve made them a few times and always get many compliments!

      Reply
    6. Monika

      April 08, 2022 at 4:36 am

      5 stars
      My daughter and I just made these. They are wonderful! This is going in my good fill-in recipe book. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Ayla Clulee

        April 09, 2022 at 5:21 am

        Thank you so much, Monika, we really appreciate the review.

        Reply
    7. Danielle

      April 09, 2022 at 5:16 am

      5 stars
      I made these cookies today, they turned out so good. I followed every step as mentioned and I am so proud and so thankful to you.

      Reply
      • Ayla Clulee

        April 11, 2022 at 6:18 am

        You’re welcome, Danielle! Thank you for your review.

        Reply
    8. Gina

      April 10, 2022 at 5:23 am

      5 stars
      This recipe was so easy to make and turned out amazing. I loved the cinnamon-nuts-apple combination.

      Reply
    9. Darlene

      April 11, 2022 at 5:16 am

      5 stars
      These are absolutely amazing! Will have to double the recipe next time because I couldn’t keep the entire family out of them! Thank you for this recipe, it will definitely be in the top 3 of my favourite cookies.

      Reply
    10. Melanie

      April 15, 2022 at 4:40 am

      5 stars
      Delicious!! This is a wonderful recipe! Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    11. Feyza

      April 16, 2022 at 5:06 am

      5 stars
      I can’t believe how easy and fun these cookies were to make.
      I will definitely be referring back to this recipe next time as well.

      Reply
    12. Jane

      April 19, 2022 at 5:23 am

      5 stars
      Made these for Easter and I love them and so did everyone else! So delicious ,Thanks for the recipes

      Reply
    13. Amber

      April 20, 2022 at 12:28 pm

      5 stars
      Just made these cookies this morning, turned out great I like that its not that sweet and perfect in taste. As it said. It’s a keeper!
      I used gala apples.

      Reply
    14. Elena

      April 24, 2022 at 5:53 am

      5 stars
      This looked good, so I made it. It was a HUGE hit with my husband “coffee club” and the girls at work.

      Reply
    15. Eleni

      May 01, 2022 at 3:11 pm

      5 stars
      Love that these cookies are not too sweet with great apple and walnut flavour. Highly recommend!

      Reply

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    Hi! Thank you for visiting Cooking Gorgeous. My name is Ayla, and I’m a professional chef based in the UK. The kitchen is my happy place and cooking is my therapy. To me, food is more than ingredients and nutrition; it is a language of love, a way of expressing compassion.

    More about me →

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