Petite Fekkas with Anise and Sesame

These petite Moroccan cookies are a miniature version of the larger, twice-baked traditional fekkas. Made this tiny, the cookies are baked only once, and might be offered as a crunchy snack with Moroccan tea or coffee. As a variation, the recipe can be prepared with only sesame seeds or only anise seeds.

Although easy to make, a big batch can become a bit tedious due to the small size of the cookies. For that reason this recipe yields only a small quantity. Double the recipe if you prefer. The cookies store very well in air-tight containers.

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Freezing time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 52 minutes

Yield: 4 cups, approx.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (115 g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons (45 g) butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons (50 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons orange flower water
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ---------------------------------
• 2 1/4 cups (280 g) flour, approx.
• 2 tablespoons anise seeds
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Preparation:

Mix the egg, sugar, butter, oil, orange flower water, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Add the flour, anise seeds and sesame seeds, and mix with your hands until a soft dough forms. Knead a few times just until smooth, working in a little additional flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Try to keep the dough a little sticky, if possible, as it will yield a lighter cookie.

Working with small portions of dough, roll the dough back and forth on a work surface to form sticks of dough the thickness of your finger. Transfer the sticks to a tray lined with plastic wrap, cover, and freeze for about an hour, or until the dough is stiff enough to cut into thin slices.

Preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C).

Remove one stick of chilled dough at a time from the freezer and cut into 1/8" slices. (Try to be consistent in how thick you slice the dough for even browning.) Place the slices on ungreased baking sheets (close together but not touching) and bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Do not under bake, or the fekkas will not be crunchy.

Allow the fekkas to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet. Use a dough scraper or spatula to loosen the cookies from the pan, and transfer them to a rack to cool completely. They can be piled on top of each other while they cool.

Store the cooled fekkas in an airtight plastic container for up to two weeks. They can also be frozen for several months.