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These Black Sesame Cookies are crisp, buttery, and so nutty with a slight bitterness from the black sesame powder. They are quick to make, last for a long time, and are the perfect pairing for a cup of coffee or tea!

Do you remember my previous Black Sesame Chocolate Chip Cookies? The addition of black sesame powder made the chocolate chip cookies so nutty, aromatic, and delicious. They were so addicting that I decided to experiment more with black sesame powder. That is how I came up with this Black Sesame Cookies recipe.

These Black Sesame Cookies are the opposite of the soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies in texture. They are crisp, crumbly, buttery, and nutty with a unique combination of sweet and savory flavors.

They are very quick and easy to make and are perfect for gifting to others or putting onto a cookie jar for the holidays! I am sure you are going to fall in love with them.

What are Black Sesame Seeds?

Sesame seeds are one of the oldest oily seeds largely found in Asia, although they are quickly gaining popularity around the world. Black sesame seeds are black in color. Once they are hulled, they become white sesame seeds.

In Asia, black sesame seeds are used extensively in cooking, baking, and desserts. Black sesame seeds are known for their nutty and slightly bitter flavor. They have a slightly more intense flavor compared to white sesame seeds which are less bitter and slightly sweet.

Ingredients You Need

Unsalted butter. Make sure your butter is at room temperature so that it blends easily with other ingredients.
Confectioner’s sugar. To provide sweetness and give the cookies a crisp exterior.
Vanilla extract. To enhance the flavor.
Cake flour. Cake flour is a lower-protein flour. It has about 7-9% protein compared to the 10-12% protein in all-purpose flour. Using cake flour will make the cookies crisper, lighter, and more tender. You can also substitute cake flour with all-purpose flour but the cookies will turn a little bit denser.
Almond flour. To add richness and nutty flavor to the cookies. Make sure you are using almond flour and not almond meal! Almond flour is a fine powder made from almonds that have been blanched and the skins removed. It looks like a fine white powder. Meanwhile, almond meal is made from ground almonds that still have the skins on, creating a coarser texture and it has a darker brown coloring due to the skins from the almonds.
Black sesame powder. It gives the cookies their flavor! You can buy the powder or make it yourself at home.
Salt. To enhance the flavor.

How to Make Homemade Black Sesame Powder

Black sesame powder is simply black sesame seeds that are grind into a powder form. You can especially find this ingredient in Asian grocery stores or online.

I do recommend purchasing store-bought powder instead of making it yourself. Because if you make it incorrectly, you will end up with grainy bitter-tasting powder. But if can’t find the powder form, you can try to make it at home.

To do so, check if your black sesame seeds are roasted or unroasted. If unroasted, roast the seeds to bring out a greater depth of flavor, aroma, and complexity. Since they are black in color, I suggest adding a few white sesame seeds to the black sesame seeds so that you know when they are done.

Once the seeds are cooled completely, pulse them in a spice grinder to pulverize them into a fine powder. A food processor also works, but you can’t really get the super fine powder. Don’t over-grind. We don’t want the seed oil to release or the powder will turn clumpy instead of powdery.

Shaping the Cookies

For this recipe, I roll 1 teaspoon of dough into a ball and press each ball with a fork, making a crisscross pattern. The dough is also great for cut-out cookies and you can shape them with cookie cutters. Make sure you keep the cookies small and thin so that they turn perfectly crisp during baking.

More Cookies Recipes

4.8 from 5 votes

Black Sesame Cookies

Print Pin Rate

Author: Jaja Bakes

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 45 cookies

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Ingredients

1/3 cup (75 gr) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup (45 gr) confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
13 tbsp (100 gr) cake flour
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp (30 gr) almond flour
1/4 cup (30 gr) black sesame powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300F/150°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Using a mixer or spatula, mix butter and confectioners sugar until combined. Add vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
Sift in cake flour, salt, almond flour, and black sesame powder. Mix with a spatula until well incorporated.
Scoop 1 teaspoon of dough and roll into balls. Arrange the balls onto the prepared pan.
Flatten each ball with a fork, making a crisscross pattern.
Bake the cookies for 16-18 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Transfer the cookies immediately onto a cooling rack and cool them completely before transferring them into an airtight container.

Notes

Make sure to measure the flour correctly if using volume measurement. The cookies will end up too dry if you add too much flour. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup. Then, level the top with a knife or other straight-edged utensil.