Hurmasice Recipe: Bosnian Syrup-Soaked Cookies

Last updated: April 2026

A hurmasice recipe is one of those things every Bosnian family guards closely. These small, oval semolina cookies get baked until just golden, then dropped into warm sugar syrup where they swell into soft, sticky, impossibly sweet bites. We grew up eating them at Bajram gatherings, at weddings, and from neighbourhood bakeries where trays of them sat glistening in the window. If you have ever tried Bosnian baklava, you already know our tradition of syrup-soaked sweets — hurmasice are the cookie branch of that same family.

What Are Hurmasice?

Hurmasice (singular: hurmasica) are small, date-shaped cookies — the name comes from “hurma,” the Turkish word for date, because of their shape. The dough is built on fine semolina (griz), butter, yogurt, and just enough flour to hold everything together. Once baked, they go straight into a sugar syrup infused with lemon juice. The cookies absorb the syrup over several hours, transforming from crisp biscuits into soft, moist morsels that practically dissolve on your tongue.

They belong to the same Ottoman-descended family of sweets as baklava, tulumbe, and tufahije — desserts where syrup does the heavy lifting. Unlike baklava, hurmasice contain no nuts and no phyllo. They are simpler to make, which is exactly why they show up in every Bosnian household during Ramadan.

Hurmasice Recipe

This recipe produces about 30 cookies. The key is getting the syrup ready before baking — hot cookies go into warm syrup for the best absorption.

For the Syrup

• 400g sugar
• 400ml water
• Juice of half a lemon

For the Cookies

• 250g fine semolina (griz)
• 150g plain flour
• 100g butter, melted
• 150ml plain yogurt
• 100g sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Whole blanched almonds for decoration (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the syrup first. Combine sugar, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and let it cool to lukewarm.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together semolina, flour, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla sugar, and salt.
3. Combine wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat the egg with sugar until pale. Add melted butter and yogurt. Mix well.
4. Form the dough. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Let it rest for 10 minutes so the semolina absorbs moisture.
5. Shape the cookies. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Take walnut-sized pieces of dough and roll them into oval shapes — like small dates. Place on a lined baking tray with a little space between each. Press a blanched almond into the top of each if using.
6. Bake. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden on top. They should be pale gold, not brown.
7. Soak in syrup. While the cookies are still hot, pour the lukewarm syrup over them — or drop the hot cookies directly into the pot of syrup. Let them soak for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight. They will swell and absorb the syrup.
8. Serve at room temperature. Arrange on a plate. They keep well for 4-5 days in a covered container — if they last that long.

Hurmasice and Ramadan in Bosnia

During Ramadan, bakeries across Mostar and Sarajevo produce hurmasice by the hundreds. They are the classic iftar dessert — waiting on the table when the family breaks the fast at sunset. Alongside dates, water, and soup, a plate of hurmasice is practically mandatory. The sugar rush after a day of fasting is part of the ritual.

At Bajram (Eid), hurmasice move from the dinner table to the hospitality tray. When guests visit — and during Bajram, everyone visits everyone — the host sets out hurmasice alongside baklava, tufahije, and Turkish coffee. Refusing sweets is considered rude. Visitors might eat hurmasice at five different houses in a single day.

Getting the Texture Right

The biggest mistake with hurmasice is overbaking. They should be just barely golden when they come out of the oven — still slightly soft in the centre. The syrup soak finishes the job. Overbaked cookies turn hard and refuse to absorb syrup properly, leaving you with a crunchy outside and dry inside.

The semolina-to-flour ratio matters too. Too much flour and they become dense and bready. Too much semolina and they crumble before they hit the syrup. The ratio in this recipe — roughly 60% semolina to 40% flour — gives you cookies that hold their shape during baking but soften beautifully in syrup.

Some cooks add a spoonful of oil to the dough for extra moisture, and some replace yogurt with sour cream. Both work. The result should be a dough that is slightly sticky but manageable — if you can roll it smoothly between your palms, you are in the right place.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What do hurmasice taste like?
A: Intensely sweet, with a soft, spongy texture that melts in your mouth. The semolina gives them a slight graininess that is different from a regular cookie. Think of them as a cross between a syrup-soaked cake and a biscuit.

Q: Can I make hurmasice without semolina?
A: Semolina is essential to the texture. Without it, you get a regular cookie that happens to be soaked in syrup — not the same thing. Fine semolina (griz) is available in most supermarkets or Middle Eastern grocery shops.

Q: How long do hurmasice need to soak?
A: Minimum 2 hours, but overnight is better. The longer they sit in syrup, the softer and more flavourful they become. We usually make them the evening before we need them.

Q: Are hurmasice the same as tulumbe?
A: No. Tulumbe are fried choux pastry piped into ridged shapes, then soaked in syrup. Hurmasice are baked semolina cookies soaked in syrup. Different dough, different method, different texture — but the same syrup tradition.

Q: Can I store hurmasice?
A: Yes. Keep them in their syrup in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or refrigerate for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture.

Hurmasice are one of those Bosnian sweets that look simple but carry the weight of tradition. Every family’s recipe is slightly different — more butter, less sugar, a drop of rosewater. Make a batch at home, or learn hurmasice hands-on in our Full Bosnian Feast cooking class — alongside burek, japrak and dolma. At Food House Mostar, we serve traditional sweets alongside our savoury menu at Rade Bitange 12, right next to the Hamam Museum. Class details at burekmasterclass.com.