Sheqerpare

Small butter cookies soaked in lemon syrup. A festive Kosovo sweet served with coffee at holidays, visits and family trays. Sheqerpare are small, tender cookies baked until pale gold, then bathed in a light lemon syrup. They stay soft rather than crisp, which is the point. In Kosovo they share the holiday table with baklava. Weddings, Bayram and family visits are the usual occasions, and a tray of sheqerpare with coffee is a standard gesture of welcome. The syrup should perfume the cookie without turning it soggy. A good piece holds together on the spoon and tastes of butter and lemon more than of plain sugar. Serving notes: Serve at room temperature with unsweetened coffee. Two or three pieces are enough. They keep for several days in a covered tray, which is why families prepare them ahead of guests. Where to try: Sweet shops in Gjakova, Prizren and Prishtina sell sheqerpare by the piece or the tray, especially near holidays. Ask at the same counters that sell baklava. Ingredients: Flour, Butter, Sugar, Egg, Baking powder, Lemon, Water.