Thursday, December 17, 2009

Sesame

It was a typical conversation—one about food and cooking of course—when Mother posed the question “What organism is a sesame anyway?” Hmmm, thought provoking indeed. Where do those little seeds that grace the top of so many bagels and burger buns come from? Could they originate from a tree, shrub, or grass? And while we’re on the subject, why do people always say “open sesame”? Hmmm…

But what’s really important about sesame seeds isn’t that they come from a plant that looks rather like a weed or that they were first domesticated in India, it’s that they’re tasty and delicious (especially toasted). The sesame crunch candy that I keep in a bowl on my dining table made me think of making cookies loaded with sesame seeds.


Sesame Cookies
Printable Recipe

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup toasted sesame seeds
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Whisk together the flour, sesame seeds, and salt in a medium bowl. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium until creamy. Add the egg and sesame oil and mix on low until blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough comes together, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and roll into a 2-inch log. Refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Unwrap the dough and cut into 3/8-inch slices. Arrange the slices about an inch apart on parchment-lined baking trays. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

Makes about 30 cookies. Cookies keep for several days in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place. The log of dough, or portions of it, may be frozen for up to 1 month tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. Perfect with a cup of green tea.

6 comments:

Ciao Chow Linda said...

I do like sesame seeds so why don't I ever think to make sweets with them? This cookie recipe will be a good start.

Jeannie said...

I have lots of black and white sesame at home. Maybe I could bake these with a mixture huh? Thanks for the idea!

brianc said...

I baked a batch of these cookies yesterday. They're quite delicious. Mine seemed to brown around the edges more than those in your picture. I also baked mine for 13-15 minutes, instead of the 18 minutes suggested in your recipe. Perhaps my oven was too hot?

Anonymous said...

Superb recipe, I made them with mixture of black and white sesame and they turned out perfect and are from now on my favorite cookies, not too sweet and very filling. Everybody loved them. Baking another batch just now. Thank you for sharing!!!

Lucy Vaserfirer said...

brianc,
Baking time can vary a lot depending on your oven and what type of cookie sheet you use. (That’s why I like to provide a visual cue in addition to the baking time.)

Thanks everyone!

mihael said...

Hey rally delicious cookies, I have baked them now several times and they always got praises. Just baking one batch right now eggless and lets see how they turn out. I also use black and white sesame.
Thank you for sharing :)

elMiha

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