Black Sesame Cookies

I've a big fan of sesame, especially black sesame and any form it takes - be it ice-cream, bread (here's my Black Sesame Bread), cake or cookies. When I saw Just One Cookbook's Black Sesame cookies, I immediately put it on my to-do list. There's no better time to make these now because Chinese New Year is round the corner and these are just the kind of cookies I would love to serve because they are different from the norm.

I really adore these cookies - they are nutty, not overly-sweet with a  slight hint salty (from the black sesame seeds). The sweet and salty goes well together forming a very unique aftertaste. Fortunately, my kids have the same kind of taste as I do. My three-year-old, who is the most picky of my three when it comes to baked goods, said that these cookies are absolutely delicious. 

These cookies are very easy to make. Nami from Just One Cookbook used her food processor to mix the ingredients. I didn't have one of those so I used my fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients till the mixture resembled fine grains of wet sand. I mixed the egg and black sesame seeds in using a spatula. You can either grind the sesame seeds or keep them whole. I kept them whole for added texture and added two teaspoons of black sesame paste into the dough.

The only bit of trouble I had was forming it into a log and keeping it round. No matter what I did the bottom was still a little flat. As it was a little out of shape, I used my hands to re-shape it before baking. The hot and humid weather in Singapore also caused the cookie dough to soften very quickly once its removed from the refrigerator so you'll need to cut it up fast. Place it back in the refrigerator if you find that its not holding its shape well after cutting.  

Black Sesame Cookies (40 cookies)

Recipe from Just One Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter (8 Tbsp, 1/2 cup, 4 oz, 117.4 g)
• 5.6 oz (160 g) all purpose flour
• 1.4 oz (40 g) almond meal
• 2.8 oz (80 g) sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1.4 oz (40 g) roasted sesame seeds (black, white or mixed)
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp black sesame paste (optional)

Method

• Cut the butter into small cubes and keep them refrigerated until ready to use.
• In the food processor, combine the flour, almond meal, sugar, and salt. If you don’t have a food processor, you can simply use a bowl to mix all the ingredients. 
• If you want your sesame seeds to be fine texture, add them now. If you prefer to keep the original shape of sesame seeds, add them with egg yolk later on.
• Take out the butter from the refrigerator and mix together. If you use a regular bowl to mix, use a dough/pastry blender to combine the butter into the dry ingredients. (I rubbed the butter into the other ingredients using my hands till the mixture resembled wet sand).
• Lastly add egg yolk. (I stirred the egg yolk and black sesame seeds into the mixture with a spoon)
• If the food processor is small and it doesn’t look like it’s mixed completely, take it out and mix well with a silicone spatula.
• Form the dough into a ball and cut in half.
• Roll it to a log approximately 2” across. For me it’s easier to work when the dough is wrapped in plastic wrap. While rolling, unwrap some parts of plastic wrap then roll again. Form a nice shape. 
• Wrap the logs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C). Remove the dough from plastic wrap and cut into discs about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick depending on your preference.
• Place them on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container. Cookies will last for a day or two.

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I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.

And Made with Love Mondays by Javelin Warrior.