Halwa Chebakia: Moroccan Sesame Cookies With Honey

Moroccan Halwa Chebakia cookies

The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Prep: 90 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Rest and Soak: 20 mins
Total: 2 hrs 35 mins
Servings: 24 to 30 servings
Yield: 4 to 5 dozen

Halwa Chebakia (sometimes spelled chebbakia or shebakia) is a Moroccan sesame cookie that is shaped into a flower, fried and then coated with honey. Also known as mkharka, it's usually served during Ramadan and for special occasions.

Chebakia is time-consuming to make. Most Moroccan women enlist the help of a sister, mother or friend for the preparation of a large quantity.

This is my sister-in-law's recipe. I've reduced her normal quantities by half to make the batch more manageable for those that cook alone.

"These Moroccan sesame cookies were sweet and delicious, and fun to make. I kneaded the dough with my stand mixer, and it was easy to roll and cut after a brief rest. Shaping these cookies was challenging initially, but once I made a few successfully, it went smoothly." —Diana Rattray

Halwa Chebakia: Moroccan Sesame Cookies With Honey/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Chebakia Dough

  • 1 cup sesame seeds, toasted

  • 1 pinch mastic gum grains, optional

  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

  • 4 cups (510 grams) all-purpose flour, more as needed

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground anise

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled

  • 1/8 teaspoon Moroccan yellow colorant, or 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

  • 1 extra-large egg

  • 1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

  • 1/4 cup olive oil

  • 1/4 cup vinegar

  • 1/4 cup orange flower water

  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast, dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water

For Frying

  • Vegetable oil, for frying

  • 5 cups (4 pounds) honey

  • 2 tablespoons orange flower water

  • 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Steps to Make It

Make the Chebakia Dough

  1. Gather the dough ingredients.

    Ingredients to make Chebakia dough

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  2. Grind the toasted sesame seeds in a food processor until they turn powdery. Keep grinding until the powder becomes moist enough to press or pack.

    Ground sesame seeds in a food processor

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  3. Mix the mastic grains, if using, with the sugar and crush it into a powder.

    Mastic grains and sugar in a mortar and pestle

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  4. Combine the mastic-sugar mixture, ground sesame seeds, flour, baking powder, salt, ground anise and cinnamon, saffron, and turmeric in a large bowl.

    A large bowl with mastic-sugar mixture, ground sesame seeds, flour, baking powder, salt, ground anise and cinnamon, saffron, and turmeric

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  5. Add the egg, butter, oil, vinegar, orange flower water, and dissolved yeast. Mix with your hands to form a dough. Add more flour if necessary to achieve a dough that is rather stiff, but pliable.

    Egg, butter, oil, vinegar, orange flower water, and dissolved yeast added to the sesame seed-flour mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  6. Knead the dough by hand for 7 to 8 minutes or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook for 4 to 5 minutes.

    Kneaded dough in a stand mixer bowl with a hook attachment

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  7. Divide the dough into four portions, shape each into a smooth mound, and place the dough in a plastic bag to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

    Four portions of dough in plastic bags

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  8. Take one of the portions of dough, and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of a thin piece of cardboard.

    Thinly rolled out dough

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  9. Use a pastry cutter to cut the dough into rectangles approximately 3 x 3 1/2-inches.

    Six small rectangles of rolled out dough

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  10. Make 4 evenly spaced lengthwise cuts in each rectangle. These cuts should be almost the length of the rectangle, but should not cut through to the edges of the dough. The resulting rectangle will have five strips of attached dough.

    Rectangle pieces of dough with four small slits

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  11. Take a rectangle, and thread the middle finger of your right hand through alternating strips of dough. This enables the rectangle to drape over your finger.

    A hand with a finger running beneath every other slit in the dough

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  12. With your left hand, pinch together the outer corners of dough which hang over the tip of your finger. This will form the center of the flower shape.

    A hand pinching the outer corners of the dough

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  13. While holding the pinched corners with your left hand, allow the strips of dough to slide down off your right finger while gently turning them inside-out around the pinched portion. Gently pinch the opposite corners closed once the dough is turned inside out. If done correctly, you'll have formed the dough into an elongated flower shape.

    Hands holding dough in the shape of a long flower

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  14. Place the folded piece of dough on a baking sheet or tray. Repeat the process with the remaining rectangles and mounds of dough. Gather together the scraps of dough as you work, mold them together into a mound, and return them to the bag to rest before you try rolling them out again. Use up all of your dough in this manner. Cover the trays of folded dough with a towel until ready to fry.

    Dough shaped into folded flowers on a baking sheet lined with parchment

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Frying the Chebakia

  1. Gather remaining ingredients.

    Ingredients to fry and soak the Halwa Chebakia cookies

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  2. Heat about 1-inch of oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat to 350 F.

    Oil in a pan with a thermometer

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  3. While the oil heats, add the honey to a large pot over medium-high heat almost to boiling.

    Honey simmering in a pan

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  4. When the honey is frothy but not bubbling, add the orange flower water to the honey and remove from the heat.

    Adding orange flower water to the hot honey

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  5. When the oil reaches 350 F, fry the chebakia in batches to not crowd the pan. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature. Turn the cookies in the oil to brown evenly until the cookies are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per batch.

    Chebakia frying in hot oil

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Soaking the Chebakia in Honey

  1. As they become done, use a slotted spoon or strainer to transfer the cookies from the oil directly to the hot honey. Gently push down on the chebakia to submerge them in the honey, soaking for 3 to 4 minutes. They'll turn a rich, glossy amber color as they absorb the honey.

    Fried chebakia soaking in honey

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  2. When the chebakia have finished soaking, remove them from the honey to a strainer or colander, and allow them to drain for a few minutes.

    Honey-soaked chebakia in a strainer

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  3. While hot, transfer the cookies to a large platter or tray, and sprinkle the centers with sesame seeds. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

    Honey-soaked chebakia topped with sesame seeds

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Tips

The chebakia may be made without the mastic gum if you can't find it.

Serve chebakia with harira, at iftar for Ramadan, or with tea or coffee.

Toasting Sesame Seeds

Spread sesame seeds on a baking pan and toast in a 350 F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the sesame seeds are crunchy and nutty-flavored. Allow them to cool thoroughly, and then store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Tips

  • The longer you soak the chebakia, the more honey they will absorb, and the sweeter and less crispy they become. How long to soak them is a matter of personal preference. However, too short of a soaking will result in pale-colored chebakia that eventually lose their glossy coating.
  • If the honey cools and thickens before you've finished making all the cookies, simply reheat it briefly over medium-low heat. This can be done even if some chebakia are in the pot soaking.

How to Store Chebakia

Allow the chebakia to cool for several hours before putting them in an airtight container for storage. They'll keep at room temperature for a month or longer, and will freeze well for four or five months.