Moroccan Chebakia: Honey-Soaked Sesame Flower Cookies with Orange Blossom and Saffron

What you need

• 40 g (1.5 oz) almonds
• 1 tbsp anise seeds
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 100 g (3.5 oz) unsalted butter
• 50 ml olive oil
• 1 egg yolk
• 150 ml orange blossom water, you may not need all of it
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 5 tbsp white vinegar
• 500 g (4 cups) plain flour
• 100 g (3.5 oz) tahini
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 l (4 cups) vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 kg (2.2 lb) honey
• 120 g (3/4 cup) sesame seeds

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 190 °C (375 °F). Roast the almonds on a tray until golden and fragrant, 15 min, stirring halfway. Cool completely.

2. 2

   Put the butter in a small pan over medium heat, let it melt and keep cooking until it turns golden and smells nutty, 5-8 min. Stir in the olive oil and let it cool.

3. 3

   Shake the orange blossom water, saffron threads and white vinegar together in a jar and set aside.

4. 4

   Grind the cooled almonds with the anise seeds and fennel seeds in a food processor until the mixture looks like moist almond butter.

5. 5

   In a large bowl, rub the almond paste with the flour, tahini, cinnamon, baking powder, yeast and salt until it looks like damp sand.

6. 6

   Make a well, add the yolk and work it in with your fingers. Pour in the butter mixture and rub the dough between your palms until it forms even small crumbs.

7. 7

   Add the saffron liquid a little at a time, kneading for 8-10 min until the dough is smooth and holds together without cracking.

8. 8

   Divide the dough into 4 portions, cover them and rest for 10-15 min.

9. 9

   On a floured surface, roll one portion into a thin 30 cm (12 in) square and cut it into 8 cm (3 in) squares with a fluted wheel cutter. Make 5 evenly spaced cuts in each square, stopping short of the edges, so it has 6 strips joined at both ends.

10. 10

    Fold the first two strips over the middle two, flip the square and fold the last two strips over the rest to make 3 layers. Pinch the outer corners together, turn it over and pull the strips apart to the sides so a knotted flower shows in the middle.

11. 11

    Pinch the ends firmly, or the cookies open in the oil. Shape the rest and keep the shaped cookies covered.

12. 12

    Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat until light golden, 3-4 min, and tip them into a wide dish.

13. 13

    Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot to 180 °C (350 °F). Warm the honey in a second pot over low heat until runny and frothy. Do not let it boil.

14. 14

    Fry 4-5 cookies at a time until golden, 2-3 min per side. They rise a little. Lift them out when still a little paler than you want, since they keep darkening.

15. 15

    Slip the hot cookies into the honey with a slotted spoon and soak for 1-2 min. A longer soak makes them softer and sweeter.

16. 16

    Lift them onto a sieve and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds at once. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Imported from blueteatile.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.