Chebakia, is one of Moroccan cuisine’s most delightful cookie.  is a sesame cookie which is shaped into a flower, fried and then coated with honey .

Chebakia is commonly prepared in Morocco during the month of Ramadan and is usually served  to break the fast.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 500 gr plain flour.
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 250 gr sesame seeds, very finely ground
  • 250 gr almond flour
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup vinegar
  • ¼ cup orange blossom water
  • 80 ml melted butter  
  • 80 ml cup oil sunflour
  • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ½  teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground anise
  • Generous pinch of saffron
  • Pinch of salt

Moroccans’ Food

Instruction:

  • First; toast the sesame in a 400 F (200 C) oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sesame seeds are crunchy and nutty-flavored.
  • Grind one bowlful of toasted sesame in a food processor until it turns powdery. Keep grinding until the powder becomes moist enough to press.

Preparing the chebakia dough

  1. Activate the dry yeast by adding ,sugar and 3 tablespoons of lukewarm water . Stir the mixture and leave for 5 minutes until foamy.
  2. In a large bowl transfer the remaining ingredients including the foamy yeast and mix them all together using your hands. If your dough is too sticky add a bit of flour to it and if it is not though, add a couple of tablespoons of water until you reach a soft dough.
  3. Flour a worktop and use your hands to knead the dough until smooth and slightly elastic. Divide the dough in 6 equal parts and place in a plastic bag for 15 minutes.Take one of the portions of dough, and roll it out to the thickness of a thin piece of cardboard. Lightly flour your work surface if necessary.
  4. Use a pastry cutter to cut the dough into rectangles .
  5. To fold the chebakia in a rose shape, pick a rectangle of dough, hold it with one hand and thread your index finger of the other hand through the alternating slits. Pinch together the corners of the rectangle closest to the tip of your index finger.
  6. Pull your finger out of the slits and in the same time push the pinched corners through the center inside out.
  7. Use up all of your dough in this manner. Cover the trays of folded dough with a towel until ready to fry.
  8. When ready to fry, heat up 4 cm of frying oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat until it reaches 180 C .
  9. At the same time heat the honey with the orange blossom water in a large frying pan. (once the honey is foamy, start on medium-high and reduce the heat ).
  10. Place the chebakia carefully in the frying pan and cook them in batches until they are cooked and golden, about 5 minutes, and flip them.
  11. If the chebakias are cooked, use a slotted spoon to immediately transfer them to the simmering honey and soak the pastries until golden brown. 
  12. Use a slotted spoon to gently transfer the chebakias to a cooling rack, garnishing each batch with sesame seeds . 

serve and enjoy 🙂

*It’s a little bit difficult, but you really have to try it to understand how amazing it tastes! Don’t hesitate to ask any question 😉