The recipes on pages
50-55 are taken from
Casablanca by
Nargisse Benkabbou,
photography by
Matt Russell,
published by Mitchell
Beazley (£20).50 baking heaven JUNE WWW.FOODHEAVENMAG.COM
Chebakia
sugar cookies
MAKES ABOUT 404 tbsp sesame seeds
250g (9oz) unsalted butter,
softened
150g (5½oz) caster sugar150g (5½oz) soft light brown sugar
2 large free-range eggs
4 tbsp clear honey
2 tbsp orange blossom water
500g (1lb 1oz) plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground aniseed
½ tsp ground turmeric1 Heat a small saucepan over a
medium heat, add the sesame seeds
and toast for about 3 minutes until
golden brown, tossing occasionally.
Set aside.
2 Cream the butter and sugars
together in a large bowl with a hand-
held electric whisk or using a stand
mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment for about 2-3 minutes or
until the mixture is smooth and turns a
pale beige colour.
3 Add the eggs, honey and orange
blossom water and beat again until
well combined. Add the flour, toasted
sesame seeds, bicarbonate of soda,
baking powder, salt and spices and mix
on a low speed until everything is
incorporated – be careful not to
overmix as this will make the cookies
quite tough. Cover the dough with
clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge
for a minimum of 2 and up to 24 hours.
4 When ready to bake, preheat the
oven to 19 0 °C /Gas Mark 5. Line a
baking tray with baking paper.
5 Scoop the dough in single
tablespoonfuls and roll each into a ball.
Place the cookies on the lined baking
tray, leaving at least 5cm (2in) between
each of them, and bake for about
10 minutes until the edges are lightly
golden brown and the centre is a bit
soft. Remove from the oven and leave
the cookies to rest on the tray for
5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire
rack to cool completely – if you try to
remove them sooner, you may
damage the cookies.did you know...
Chebakia, also known as
mk har ka, gr i wech or r ose des
sables, is a wonderfully fragrant
cookie usually enjoyed in
Moroccan households during
the month of Ramadan.