Easy Basbousa Balls Recipe – 3 Delicious Variations Ready in 35 Minutes

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Easy Basbousa Balls Recipe - 3 Delicious Variations Ready in 35 Minutes
🔪Prep Time 15 Min
🔥Cook Time 20 Min
🍽️Servings4 servings People
⚡Calories380 kcal

Basbousa balls take the everyday semolina cake and turn it into something you can grab and eat without a fork. The usual basbousa gets baked flat, drowned in syrup, and sliced up for tea time or after meals in Middle Eastern homes. These balls make it easier to serve, especially if you’ve got people over and don’t want plates everywhere. You bake it like normal, cool it, crumble, soak a bit, and roll in coconut—simple but needs patience on the cooling part.I’ve put these together a handful of times now, and the one thing I learned is to really wait for full cooling; rushed it once after a long day and half the balls turned to loose crumbs while rolling. Used the basic recipe mostly, but tried the stuffed version too with walnuts inside and kataifi outside—it holds up better chilled. There’s also a chewier take with vermicelli and clotted cream that bakes up nice if your oven’s even. All three work fine in a standard home setup, no special pans, and they come out soft inside with a bit of crunch. Good for holidays or just when you crave something sweet without much cleanup. Portions out to about 4 people depending on ball size.

Ingredients for Basic Basbousa Balls

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1 cup shredded coconut (for coating)
  • 1 cup semolina
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup sugar syrup
  • 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

Instructions for Basic Basbousa Balls

  1. Mix together the eggs, sugar, yogurt, semolina, flour, oil, baking powder, and vanilla until smooth—leave out the coconut, condensed milk, and syrup for now.
  2. Spread into a greased baking pan, about 8×8 inches works.
  3. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until the top is golden and firm.
  4. Pull it out and let it cool all the way on a rack—don’t skip this.
  5. Crumble the whole thing into a bowl, drizzle over the condensed milk and sugar syrup, and stir until it clumps nicely.
  6. Roll into balls, about golf ball size, and coat in the shredded coconut. Toast the coconut first if you like it crispier.

Stuffed Basbousa Balls

Ingredients

  • 1 cup semolina
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • For filling: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 2 drops orange blossom water, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • For coating: 1/2 cup kataifi strands

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.
  2. Stir in semolina and cook until it changes color lightly.
  3. Add sugar, stir, then water, milk, and vanilla; keep stirring to a soft dough.
  4. Cool the dough a bit, mix filling ingredients together.
  5. Melt more butter, shred and toast kataifi until golden.
  6. Form dough balls with a filling pocket inside, seal, roll in kataifi.
  7. Chill for an hour before eating.

Basbousa Balls with Vermicelli

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1 cup clotted cream
  • 1 cup coarse semolina
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup powdered milk
  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons lotus butter spread
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 cup ghee
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts
  • 1/2 cup fine vermicelli
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

  1. Combine yogurt, clotted cream, sugar, powdered milk, coarse semolina in a bowl.
  2. Add cream cheese, lotus butter, baking powder, and ghee; mix to dough.
  3. Spread on greased tray, top with nuts and vermicelli, rest 30 minutes.
  4. Bake until done, cool, form balls, drizzle condensed milk.

Why This Recipe Works

  • Takes common pantry items like semolina and turns them into no-fuss treats.
  • Balances soft chew from soaking with dry coating for better texture hold.
  • Fits quick snacks or bigger trays without extra dishes.

Chef’s Tips for Better Results

  • Always cool the bake fully—crumbles stick better and balls shape easier.
  • Preheat oven properly; aim for even middle rack heat around 350°F.
  • Swap nuts in filling or skip kataifi for plain coconut if that’s what you have.

Storage and Reheating

Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days; they firm up cold. At room temp, only a day max before softening. Reheat single balls in microwave for 10-15 seconds or let sit out 20 minutes.

Nutritional Notes

About 350-400 calories per serving for the basic balls, mostly from sugar, semolina, and oil. Variations add nuts or butter, pushing closer to 450. Carbs heavy, some protein from yogurt or eggs.

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