Bolings – Semolina Coconut Cookies

Bolings are a sweet coconut semolina cookie that is made at Christmas time in most East Indian Catholic households! They are so simple and easy to make! What’s better; this yummy coconut treat can also be enjoyed as a tea-time snack any time of the year!

Come Christmas time and you have most Catholic aunties wondering what sweets to make for Christmas and or order for Christmas. Whether for immediate family or to distribute to other family and friends, bolings are usually on that list. Our culture has a few different recipes for bolings. Should we make these bolings or those bolings or should we just make the flattened Boros cookies instead? Quite a dilemma!

Did you know that these Bolings are very similar to flattened Borose that are also made by the Goans? But they call it bolinhas or boulinas. Talk about Portuguese influence! Although they didn’t stay in control of Bombay very long, they definitely had a big impact on our food. To learn how to make these delicious coconut semolina cookies, follow our recipe below.

what Ingredients do you need to make Bolings?

All you need to make bolings is coconut(desiccated), semolina(sojee or rava), eggs, sugar, and rose essence. It is usually made with freshly grated coconut but if you do not have this, you can use dessicated coconut instead as we have done for this recipe. It’s also easier to get desiccated coconut from the store than grate the coconut yourself.

How To Make Bolings?

You start by making a mel (syrup) of the rose water and sugar. Once the sugar has melted add in the desiccated coconut. Allow the coconut to cook in the sugar mel for about 10 mins and when well-mixed take it off the stove and allow it to cool.

Once the mixture is cool, add in the beaten eggs and sojee (semolina), mix well and form a dough. Cover with a thali and allow this dough to rest for a few hours. When its Christmas time, during those in-between hours we tackle some of the other sweets on our list – marzipan, vanilla cream, or nankhatai.

After a few hours (at least 2 or more), divide the mixture into 2 parts and add food colour. We usually make it yellow and pink. Knead each part well and then make small balls of each colour.

Take one yellow ball and one pink ball and mix the 2 into one ball as you can see below. Place these on a baking tray that has been dusted with flour. Add a silver bead to the top of each boling and then bake them in a pre-heated oven for about 20 mins.

And these delicious coconut semolina cookies or bolings as we call them are ready to be eaten!

What’s Perfect About This Bolings Recipe?

• Bolings require just a handful of ingredients.
• It is simple and easy to make.
• Bolings or borose make a good tea time snack throughout the year as well.

Cooking Tips And Tricks for Bolings

• If you are using freshly grated coconut, use the same amount of sugar as the weight of the coconut.
• The weight of the desiccated coconut will increase when mixed with the rose water and sugar, so measure accordingly.
• You can use powdered sugar instead of granular sugar so it is easier to melt.
• If you’re looking for other recipes with coconut, try this coconut cake, thali sweet, or moist kopra pak.

What Else can I make with Semolina/Rawa/Sojee?

Some of our semolina recipes are snow balls, chocolate honey balls, bolings, borose cookies, sojee sweet, thalie sweet, carambolas, and many of our cakes.

FAQ’s About Bolings

How long can you store bolings for?

Bolings can be stored for a few weeks at room temperature or in the fridge for upto 2 months.

Can I use grated coconut?

Yes, the original recipe uses freshly grated coconuts. Make sure you add the same amount of coconut as the amount of sugar. (We use desiccated coconut to make the recipe easier.)

Is rose water necessary?

The rose water adds flavour to the cookies. You could opt for adding rose essence to the sugar mel if you do not have rose water.

Other indian Recipes You Might Like

• Nutmeg Cake
• Christmas Date Rolls
• Custard Powder Cookies
• Warm East Indian Kimad Recipe
• Mustard Chicken