Jeljlania (sesame balls)

By Za, 

One of the special delights Eid brings about in Algeria is the joy of making, and most importantly eating several hundreds of diverse kinds of cookies, sweets, cakes and patisseries. Most families would make a roughly average of 7 to 10 kinds of cookies. These are offered to other family members, guests, friends and neighbours. My highest record of cookie making has always been 4 (attained last year). This year, though, I only got around to making two varieties of which I'd like to share one today. 


I got to know this recipe thanks to mum. The first time I got introduced to the Jeljlania, I knew straight away  it was  'love at first sight'. My feelings were intensely confirmed when I tasted it. Everything about me melted then. (well, I also kind of got badly told off after a few minutes when mum found out I had hoovered up all the rest of the Jeljlania stashed in the cupboard. I got ball chained away it them every time I'd come within a reaching distance.) 


So if you don't know what I'm talking about, let me shed some light into your gastronomic world, by introducing you to this simple yet tasty sesame balls. 




I you're interesting in making it, next time you go to the market, make sure you toss the following ingredients in you shopping basket: 

• 1kg white Flour
• Unsalted buter (500g) 
• 2 cups of icing sugar
• 1 sachet of baking powder
• 2 tea spoons of vanilla. 
• 6 egg whites. 
• Sesame 
• Orange floral water. 
• Medium cake cases
• Honey 

In your working lab: 

Mix the butter and the icing sugar well, till they form a light-colored cream. 
Add the egg whites, baking powder and vanilla, and mix well.
Pour flour till you gather the dough. don't work or knead it. 
Make a few small balls from the batch. 
In a preheated pan, put the sesame and grill it by just stirring it over and over continually until they gain a golden brown color. 

Dip the balls in the orange floral water (or egg whites) then roll them around in a bowl full of grilled sesame. 
Place them in the cake cases and chuck them in the preheated oven (I put it on 150C). 
Check on them from time to time. 
PS: do not open the oven until after 20mins of baking. they'll puff up and double in size. 
Get them out when they are cooked (I always sacrifice one by digging the tip of a knife in it to check) 
make sure you've put your honey (add a tiny bit of water to it) in a cassrole to bring it to a boil, so that, when you get your cookies out, you spoon water them with that boiling honey. 
They'll absorb it all and become more tender as a result. 


Let cool and enjoy. 


Bsahatkom. 

Coming soon, in-sha'a-llah Eid mini fruit tarts