Chebakia
Chebakia is the defining sweet of Moroccan Ramadan, eaten specifically to break the daily fast, alongside harira soup. Its preparation, laborious and time-consuming, is traditionally done in huge batches, often in groups of women from family or neighborhood, weeks before the holy month begins, precisely because it keeps well, unlike most fresh pastries. The key to the technique lies in the moment of soaking in honey: the cookies need to go in hot, straight from the oil, into warm, not cold, honey. The porosity created by frying, combined with the honey's warmth, lets the sweetness soak deep into the dough, not just sit on the surface. If the cookie were to cool before soaking, the honey would remain just a sticky outer layer, without changing the texture inside.
Strips of dough are woven into a flower shape
The slit-and-weave technique gives them that recognizable, ribboned silhouette
The cookies go hot, straight from the oil, into warm honey
The honey needs to be warm, not cold, to soak in well while the cookie is still porous
The sesame seeds are sprinkled while the cookie is still sticky with honey
They only stick to the surface if the honey hasn't set yet
Made in large batches ahead of Ramadan
Keeps well for weeks in a sealed container, unlike most pastries
Ingredients 4 servings
- 500g flour
- 1 egg
- 50g butter, softened
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground anise seeds
- A pinch of saffron threads, dissolved in warm water
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 50g toasted sesame seeds, half ground
- Vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 500g honey, warmed and thinned with a little water
- Orange blossom water, a splash
How to make it
- 1MAKE THE DOUGH: mix the flour, ground sesame, cinnamon, anise, baking powder, saffron water, egg, melted butter and vinegar into a firm dough, knead well.
- 2LET IT REST: let rest, covered, 30 minutes.
- 3SHAPE THE FLOWERS: roll out thin, cut into rectangles, slit each rectangle into strips leaving one end intact, weave through the slits to form a flower shape.
- 4FRY: deep-fry the shaped cookies in batches until golden and crisp.
- 5SOAK IN HONEY: drop the hot fried cookies straight into warm honey thinned with orange blossom water, let soak a few minutes.
- 6COAT WITH SESAME: lift out, drain briefly, sprinkle generously with toasted sesame seeds while still sticky.
- 7COOL AND STORE: let cool completely on a rack; keeps well for weeks in an airtight container.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
