Turkish desserts that'll satisfy your sweet tooth

Baklava

Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry featured in different cuisines across the former Ottoman territories. It is made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped walnuts or pistachios and sweetened with syrup or honey. But there are many different kinds of baklava, such as:

Şöbiyet

Looks may deceive you here! Whereas the classic baklava features a variety of nuts, this one has a little surprise inside: a stuffing of cream, made from milk and semolina, which transforms this little dessert into a textural wonder with its crunchy outer shell but soft, creamy insides.

Bülbül yuvası

"Bülbül yuvası" translated literally is "nightingale nest", and gets its name its round shape. Just like baklava, it is made out of phyllo dough soaked in syrup but instead of having the nuts in between the layers, they are inserted in the very middle.

Sütlü Nuriye

If you are not a fan of all the syrup in all the other baklava types or it is a bit too heavy, this could be the alternative. Instead of sugary syrup, Sütlü Nuriye is made with milk as the name suggests "Nuriye with milk".

Fıstıklı sarma

Is having thin layers of pistachios not enough for you? Then give this one a try! Fıstıklı sarma is phyllo dough jam-packed with crushed pistachios.

Dilber dudağı

While there are many variations of baklava (even chocolate ones), the last Done we'll cover is dilber dudağı, meaning "sweetheart's lips". In this variation, the nuts are stuffed in the middle while the phyllo is folded over it a bit to create a mouth-like shape.

Şekerpare

Almost every pastry shop in Turkey has these gooey semolina cookies but homemade ones are still the best – as with many other traditional dishes. Usually, they feature a hazelnut or pistachio on top and are doused in syrup.

Acıbadem kurabiyesi

These cookies are great if you like almonds and your cookies chewy. They are made out of almonds, sugar and egg whites, making them a kind of meringue-like cookie.

Halva

Halva (helva) is said to have originated in the Middle East and with globalization, it has naturally found its way to almost every shop. There are many different kinds of them and the one shown here is a tahini-based with pistachios. These blocks of deliciousness have versions with cacao, other nuts, plain and so many more.

Semolina halva

As the same suggests, this halva is made out of semolina and is often served with some ice cream inside it or on the side. Even street vendors sell them in many cities around Turkey.

Flour halva

Like the semolina version, this one is obviously made out of flour. As flour is not as coarse as semolina, this type of halva is smoother in texture but can be spiced up with different nuts, depending on your preferences.

Kağıt halva

These ones are sold pretty much in every market and if you find yourself stuck in traffic there might be a guy selling them to the desperate people waiting in their cars. As much as it can be eaten alone, these layers of "kağıt" (paper) halva are used to make an ice cream sandwich, making it more fun.

Maraş ice cream

You might have seen these pranksters on the streets of Turkey. They are selling the famed mastic ice cream from Maraş, which is not like your regular Italian one. It stretches quite a bit while eating it – if you can actually get your hands on the dessert from the server, that is.

This kind of ice cream has a variety of flavors but we'd advise you to start out with the plain one to appreciate the craftsmanship and work your way around to the others.

Tulumba

This dessert is essentially fried dough which is then soaked in syrup. Tulumba, lokma and halka tatlısı are essentially all the same, the only difference is the shapes they come in. Tulumbas are pictured here, lokmas are tiny balls and halkas look like rings. These can be found in pastry shops as well as be sold by street vendors.

Cezerye

Cezerye is more candy than a dessert. It is not as solid and is made from caramelized carrots, shredded coconut, and roasted walnuts, hazelnuts or pistachios.

Güllaç

Güllaç is usually made in Ramadan and isn't really sold outside of the holy fasting month. It is made from a special kind of pastry called Güllaç (it shares the same name as the dessert itself), milk, nuts and pomegranate.

Kavala kurabiyesi

Unlike the acıbadem cookie, this almond cookie is tougher and has whole almonds in it.

Osmanlı macunu

Osmanlı macunu (Ottoman paste) is created by vendors outside of tourist destinations. These vendors out on a show as they swirl colored sugar twirls from a large tin onto sticks. Essentially, they are creating custom-made lollypops for which you decide the flavor combination.

Kazandibi

The top of this caramelized milk pudding is darker than the rest and it is from the almost-burned parts left at the bottom of the pot. The name "kazandibi" literally means the "bottom of the pot"

Kadayıf tatlısı

The closest contender to baklava is this crunchy yet syrupy dessert. It is made from very a thin noodle-like pastry called “tel kadayıf”. Between two layers of this pastry are usually pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts which are doused in syrup once it is baked.

Kemalpaşa

This dessert gets its name from the Mustafakemalpaşa district of northwestern Bursa province, where this dessert is made on a daily basis. Kemalpaşa can be found in pretty much every store in Turkey once Ramadan peaks around the corner. The only thing that you need to add to them is the syrup.

Künefe

Künefe is a local delight from the Antakya district of southern Hatay province, made by adding a special salt-free cheese inside tel kadayıf and frying the mixture in butter. Delicious syrup is poured on künefe, while nuts or pistachios add a unique taste.

Pişmaniye

Pişmaniye is essentially Turkish cotton candy, though this sweet is not entirely made out of sugar but also incorporates flour roasted in butter. This dessert is sometimes topped with ground pistachios.

Lokum - Turkish Delight

Lokum, the most wanted dessert in the Ottoman Empire for almost three centuries, was taken to Europe by a British tourist in the 18th century and soon became to be known as "Turkish delight" around the world.

There are a variety of lokums such as the traditional and classic hazelnut ones as well as double roasted, pistachio, rose, gum and saffron varieties, and even those coated in chocolate.