Moroccan Sesame Cookies (Shia Shia)

Steps

1. Pour half a cup of raw sesame seeds in a flat pan and toast them on medium heat for around 5 minutes while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until they lose their raw taste.
2. Using a food mixer, grind the toasted sesame seeds until you get a fine powder.
3. In a small bowl, mix half teaspoon of orange blossom water with a pinch of saffron threads and let it sit for a few minutes.
4. In another small bowl, activate half tablespoon of dry yeast by mixing it with half teaspoon of sugar and a little bit of warm water; let it sit for a few minutes.
5. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl: two cups of all-purpose flour, ground sesame seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of ground anise, pinch of mastic gum powder (or omit), 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
6. Add a mixture of 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and 1 tablespoon of melted butter to the dry ingredients and continue mixing until all are well incorporated.
7. Add half teaspoon of white vinegar, the orange blossom water with saffron, the yeast mixture, and one egg yolk. Gradually add half a cup of warm water while mixing all ingredients by hand until you can form a dough ball; do not make it wet or sticky.
8. Place the dough on your kitchen counter and knead it with quick and energetic movements using the palms of your hands for about 5 minutes until it becomes soft and elastic.
9. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into six equal portions.
10. Take each portion and roll it into a thin layer using a rolling pin (not too thin).
11. To shape without a mold: Cut the rolled dough into squares. In each square, make four evenly lengthwise cuts. Shape the cookie by taking columns 1, 3, and 5 with your right hand's middle finger, then flipping columns 2 and 4 with your left hand so they are inside out to form a flower shape.
12. Place the shaped cookies on the counter and pinch their outer corners.
13. In a frying pan, heat vegetable oil until hot. Simultaneously, in a saucepan, heat honey mixed with a little bit of orange blossom water until it reaches a boiling point; then reduce the heat to medium to keep it hot.
14. Start frying the cookies in the hot oil until they get a beautiful golden brown color on all sides.
15. Immediately remove the cookie from the frying oil and dip it in the hot honey, ensuring it is totally soaked. Remove the cookie from the honey and place it in a sieve to drain.
16. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and let the cookies cool down for several hours before serving.