About This Dish
Crunchy, twice-baked cookies studded with almonds, sesame seeds, and anise — Morocco's answer to Italian biscotti. Fekkas are baked in a log, sliced, and then baked again until dry and crunchy, making them perfect for dunking in mint tea or coffee. They are the longest-lasting Moroccan cookie, keeping for months in a tin, which made them a practical traveling food for caravans and merchants. Today they remain the default cookie jar staple in Moroccan homes and are the cookies most often served to drop-in guests with a glass of mint tea.
Ingredients
- 400 g All-purpose flour
- 150 g Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 80 ml Vegetable oil
- 150 g Whole almonds
- 3 tbsp Sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp Anise seeds
- 2 tbsp Orange blossom water
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp Salt
Instructions
- 1
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, anise seeds, and sesame seeds.
- 2
Add eggs, oil, orange blossom water, and vanilla. Mix into a soft dough.
- 3
Fold in whole almonds.
- 4
Shape into 2 flat logs about 8cm wide on a lined baking sheet.
- 5
Bake at 180C (350F) for 20 minutes until firm and lightly golden.
- 6
Cool 10 minutes, then slice diagonally into 1cm thick pieces.
- 7
Lay slices flat and bake again for 15-20 minutes until dry and golden.
- 8
Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Tips & Tricks
- The second baking is what makes them crunchy — do not skip it.
- Slice while still warm — they crumble if you wait too long.
- Anise seeds are the signature Moroccan touch that distinguishes these from Italian biscotti.