Moroccan cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Bahla

Crumbly Moroccan butter cookies with vanilla that melt on the tongue, baked with a sesame coating.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 200 g soft butter
• 150 g powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 450 g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 tbsp milk
• 50 g sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C top/bottom heat and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Beat the soft butter with the powdered sugar and salt for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture and quickly bring together into a smooth shortcrust dough — work it as briefly as possible so the cookies stay crumbly.
4. Roll out the dough 1 cm thick, cut out 5 cm circles with a glass, and place them spaced apart on the baking sheets.
5. Brush the cookies with the milk, coat thickly with sesame seeds, and bake for 15–18 minutes until the edges are light gold and the centers stay pale.
6. Let the bahla firm up on the sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack, cool completely, and store in a tin.