Take one bite of the crisp cookies known as fekkas and you're inhaling the perfumes of the Middle East: orange-flower water, anise, sesame seeds, and toasted almonds.
Biscuits keep in an airtight container at room temperature 3 weeks.
Recipe information
Total Time
3 hours (includes chilling and cooling)
Yield
Makes about 40 cookies
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Stir together sugar, butter, almonds, orange-flower water, anise seeds, extracts, and 1/4 cup sesame seeds in a large bowl. Add eggs and stir until well combined. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined. Chill dough, covered, 1 hour.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
Step 3
Using moistened hands, halve dough and form 2 (11- by 3-inch) loaves on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with enough egg wash to coat, then sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sesame seeds.
Step 4
Bake until pale golden, about 30 minutes. Loosen from baking sheet with a spatula, then transfer loaves to a rack and cool 15 minutes. (Leave oven on.)
Step 5
Cut warm loaves into 3/4-inch slices with a serrated knife and arrange biscuits, with a cut side down, on a clean baking sheet. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely.
