Halwa Shebakia (Ramadhan Special Sesame Cooki

4 lb Flour

3 lb Butter

2 lb Sesame seeds;plus additional

-toasted seeds for sprinklng 1 tb Dry yeast dissolved in

-1/2 cup water 20 g Gum arabic; optional

1 tb Saffron stamens

1/2 lb Smen; seasoned butter

1 tb Cinnamon, ground

1 qt Vegetable oil

1 qt Vegetable oil; for frying

10 lb Honey

"This recipe is frankly for historical purposes as its yield indicates suitability for commercial or restaurant production rather than home baking. With unusual proportions of butter, oil and honey in the batter, yeast for rising and more oil for frying, making the cookies would be rather daunting were it not for the fact that they help glorify a particularly holy celebration." 1. In a food processor process all the ingredients,

except the honey, into a paste. 2. Take a walnut-sized piece of paste and roll it out

very thin. Using a metal cut-out typically found in Morocco, with different designs, cut out cookies and let them rise for 15 minutes. Deep-fry the cookies in the remaining quart of oil in batches over low heat just to brown. 3. Soak the cookies in the honey for 15 minutes.

Remove and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Makes several hundred cookies. Source: "The Great Book of Couscous" by Copeland Marks -----