A Palestinian Baker Is Selling Exquisite Biscuits to Sydneysiders on Instagram

When Asma Khalaf migrated from Gaza to Sydney in late 2024, she brought her family, her culture and recipes passed down through generations of women.

“I grew up in Palestine surrounded by the rich traditions and deep-rooted culture of my homeland where food plays a central role in bringing families and communities together,” she tells Broadsheet.

Missing home, the family-taught baker decided to bring a bit of Palestine to Australia by opening her home bakery, Yafa Sweet. Khalaf bakes Palestinian sweets in small batches, taking orders from Sydney-based customers via DM on Instagram.

Maamoul – filled semolina biscuits with a shortbread-like texture – is the centrepiece of her menu, alongside other sweets like kaak, baklava and basbousa, a semolina cake finished with fragrant rose or orange blossom water. “It’s my way of keeping our heritage alive, one bite at a time,” she says.

Maamoul’s lightly sweet dough is made from semolina flour, sugar and ghee, then rolled into discs and folded around a pliable, sweetened mixture of either pistachios, walnuts or dates to make a round biscuit. Some bakers use tools to hand-press a decorative pattern into each biscuit – Khalaf presses her maamoul into wooden moulds, and a different shape is used for each filling.

“My grandmother and mother taught me to make maamoul. It was always a family event. We’d gather in the kitchen, kneading the dough, stuffing each piece carefully. As a child, I loved trying to mimic the shapes my mother made. It was more than just baking, it was a bonding moment filled with laughter and stories,” Khalaf says.

Like many recipes, good maamoul is all about balance. “The dough should be soft yet sturdy enough to hold the filling, and the filling should be just the right sweetness to complement the delicate flavour of the dough. Patience and love are the key ingredients.”

In Palestinian homes, Eid-al-Fitr – the days of feasting following the holy month of Ramadan – are when sweets like maamoul and kaak are typically made, but Khalaf says versions of the biscuits can be enjoyed all year long.

“I remember coming home from school, tired and a little grumpy, especially during exam season,” she says. “As soon as I stepped inside, the smell of butter and cinnamon would hit me. Mama had made kaak. It wasn’t the Eid kaak filled with dates, but the plain, round, sesame-crusted ones. She’d hand me one still warm from the oven with a glass of sweet tea and we’d sit together. That kaak softened the whole day.”

Khalaf, her husband and their children are safe in Australia, but leaving Gaza brings up complicated feelings.

“Leaving home was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” she says. “It felt like leaving a piece of myself behind. There’s always a sense of longing for the streets I walked as a child, the voices of loved ones, and the smell of home-cooked meals filling the air. But I left with a purpose – to create something meaningful for my family and to share a piece of Palestine with the world.”

Baked goods from Yafa Sweet can be ordered via DM on Instagram, to pick up or with an additional fee for delivery. Prices start at $10.

@yafasweet_