Achappam (Kerala Rose Cookies)

Nov 3, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cookies bars Medium

A crisp, lacy, flower-shaped fried cookie made from rice flour and coconut milk. It needs the traditional metal mold, but the batter takes minutes. Makes 30 cookies in about 1 hr 10 min.

Prep 25 min

Cook 45 min

Total 1 hr 10 min

Yield 30 cookies

Diet Dairy free

Ingredients

Adjust yield

2 cups (240 g)rice flour, sifted
⅔ cup (80 g)powdered sugar
1 ¼ cups (300 ml)thick coconut milk
1 (50 g)egg, beaten
1 tsp (3 g)fennel seeds
1 pinchsalt
4 ¼ cups (1000 ml)neutral oil (coconut or vegetable), for frying

Fresh ingredient guides

CoconutHow to pick, season & nutrition · 496 kcal per 140 g

Baking tools for this recipe

Convert to grams Scale it Change the pan

Instructions

Whisk the rice flour, powdered sugar, fennel seeds and salt in a bowl. Add the beaten egg and gradually whisk in the coconut milk until you have a smooth, lump-free batter about as thick as heavy cream. Add a spoonful more coconut milk if it is too thick. Rest 15 minutes.
Heat 3 inches (8 cm) of oil in a deep, heavy pan to 350 F (175 C) on a thermometer. Lower the flower-shaped achappam mold into the oil and heat it for 1 minute.
Lift the hot mold out, let excess oil drip off, then dip it into the batter just up to the top edge without covering the upper surface of the mold.
Return the batter-coated mold to the oil. Fry 1 to 2 minutes, until the cookie loosens from the mold and turns golden. Nudge it off with a fork if needed.
Fry the cookie until crisp and golden on both sides, then lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Reheat the mold in the oil between each cookie and stir the batter before each dip. Cool the cookies completely before storing.

Tips

If the batter slides off the mold, the mold is not hot enough or the batter is too thin.
Keep the oil at 350 F; too cool and cookies are greasy, too hot and they brown before crisping.
Let the oil cool completely before disposing.
Hot-oil frying: keep oil at 350 F (175 C) and never leave it unattended.

Made this?

Log it to keep your bakes, ratings and notes together in My Kitchen.

Be the first to share one.

Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make achappam (kerala rose cookies)?

Plan on 25 minutes of prep and 45 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 30 cookies.

How should I store achappam (kerala rose cookies)?

Keep in an airtight tin at room temperature up to 2 weeks; recrisp in a 300 F (150 C) oven for 5 minutes if soft.

Can I make achappam (kerala rose cookies) ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

A Kerala Christmas and festival snack made with a cast-iron rose mold, also known from Sri Lankan and Dutch-influenced kitchens. Serve it with tea.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 30 servings this recipe makes.

133 Calories / serving

10.4g Fat

9.4g Carbs

0.9g Protein

2.9g Sugar

Whole recipe (30 servings): ~3990 cal · 312g fat · 282g carbs · 27g protein · 87g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.