Ottijiet

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Ottijiet are traditional cookies originating from Malta. The cookies are usually made with a combination of flour, sugar, butter, eggs, orange juice and zest, vanilla, cloves, aniseed, baking powder, sesame seeds, and salt. Butter is mixed with flour, sugar, salt, aniseed, cloves, orange zest, and baking powder in a big bowl. The eggs, orange juice, and a bit of water are mixed in another bowl. Both are incorporated into a dough that's wrapped in cling film and placed in the fridge to chill. Pieces of dough are then rolled between hands, first into a rope, then into a ring, and the ring is then twisted to get the typical "8" shape of these tasty cookies. The cookies are dipped into sesame seeds and baked until golden. They're traditionally eaten at teatime.