About This Dish
Morocco's most iconic Ramadan pastry — flower-shaped cookies that are deep-fried to a golden crisp, then immediately dipped in warm honey and coated with toasted sesame seeds. The process of shaping chebakia is an art form: the dough is rolled thin, cut into strips, and woven into an intricate rose pattern before frying. Families gather in the weeks before Ramadan to make chebakia in enormous batches, turning it into a communal social event. The cookies keep for weeks and are traditionally served alongside harira soup to break the fast each evening.
Ingredients
- 500 g All-purpose flour
- 100 g Sesame seeds, toasted and ground
- 80 g Blanched almonds, ground
- 50 g Butter, melted
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Vinegar
- 3 tbsp Orange blossom water
- 1/4 tsp Saffron threads
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground anise
- 1/4 tsp Mastic gum, ground
- 500 g Honey
- 100 g Sesame seeds, whole toasted
- for deep frying Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- 1
Mix flour with ground sesame, ground almonds, cinnamon, anise, and saffron.
- 2
Add eggs, melted butter, vinegar, and orange blossom water. Knead into a smooth dough.
- 3
Rest dough 30 minutes. Roll thin and cut into rectangles.
- 4
Make 4 slits in each rectangle. Weave and fold into a rose/flower shape.
- 5
Deep fry in moderately hot oil (170C/340F) until golden, about 3 minutes.
- 6
While still hot, dip immediately into warm honey for 2 minutes.
- 7
Remove, drain excess honey, and coat with toasted sesame seeds.
- 8
Cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container.
Tips & Tricks
- The shaping technique requires practice — watch a Moroccan cook demonstrate first.
- Oil temperature is critical: too hot and they burn, too cool and they absorb oil.
- Warm the honey before dipping so it penetrates the pastry.
- Chebakia keeps for weeks stored in a cool, dry place.