Vegetarian Halal CertifiedDessertRamadan

Chebakia Honey Cookies

Name: Chebakia Honey Cookies
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 60 min
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 500g plain flour; 150g sesame seeds, toasted; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp anise seeds, ground; 1 tsp cinnamon; Pinch saffron dissolved in 1 tbsp orange blossom water; 1 tbsp rose water; ½ tsp baking powder; Oil for deep frying; 400g pure honey (argan or flower honey); Extra sesame seeds for coating

شبكية

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About This Dish

Intricately folded sesame pastries fried to golden crispness and drenched in warm argan honey — the irreplaceable sweet of Ramadan, made communally by Moroccan women.

Cultural Heritage

History & Origins

Chebakia are the iconic fried sesame honey cookies of Moroccan Ramadan, without which no iftar table is complete. Their name derives from the Arabic "chabaka" (network or lattice), describing the intricate flower-like shape formed by pressing the dough through a mould. Making chebakia is a communal activity — women gather in large groups in the weeks before Ramadan to prepare hundreds of these cookies, chatting and singing as they fry and dip them in argan honey. The dough contains anise, sesame, saffron, cinnamon, and orange blossom water — an aromatic blend that fills the house with warmth. They are always served alongside harira soup.

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