I love sesame. It’s a flavor that is fairly common in Chaldean and Middle Eastern desserts. There are candies, like simsimeeyah, made entirely of sesame seeds and roasted nuts, or halawa, a cotton candyesque dessert make from tahini and sugar. While some people may associate sesame’s roasted nuttiness with savory dishes, I’ve had a lot of fun indulging my sesame obsession by blending it with chocolate.
I’ve been working on perfecting this Chocolate Sesame Cookies for a while. The first few batches were too crumbly, the result of too much cocoa powder. One batch was too runny, a result of adding more butter but not flour. But at last, I found a combination of ingredients with which I am happy. I brought a batch of cookies into work recently, subjugating my co-workers to the task of taste testers. They happily oblige, I should mention. The cookies were a hit. One person said it tasted like they were eating a brownie more than a cookie. Success!
These Chocolate Sesame Candy Cookies aren’t your typical chocolate cookies. Aside from cocoa powder and chocolate chips, they are infused with sesame oil, to highlight and draw out the taste of roasted sesame. Bits of sesame candy, made from honey and roasted sesame seeds, present themselves in each bite. These cookies are fudgy, not too sweet, and almost savory. I hope you enjoy them.
Making the Dough
Sesame Candy
Baked Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 1 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds (for dipping cookies)
For the Sesame Candy
- 3/4 cup sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp sugar
Instructions
For the Sesame Candy
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In a flat pan, toast all the sesame seeds on low heat. Stir the seeds occasionally, and keep a close eye on the seeds because they can burn quickly.
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In a sauce pan, add the honey and sugar. Bring to a boil on low to medium heat. Let the mixture boil for at least 5 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn.
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Remove the honey-sugar mixture from heat, and add 3/4 cup toasted sesame seeds. Mix. Scoop the mixture on a silicon baking sheet. Roll the mixture out to roughly 1/4 inch thickness.
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Let the sesame candy harden. With a sharp knife, cut the sesame candy into small squares, roughly the size of a chocolate chip. Set aside.
For the Cookies
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the sesame oil. Add eggs, one at a time.
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In another bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until incorporated.
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Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix. Add chocolate chips and sesame candy squares.
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Scoop the cookie dough onto a baking sheet, leaving space between each cookie. Optionally, dip the cookie dough ball into a plate of sesame seeds, slightly flattening the ball of dough as you dip it.
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Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
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