Easy Black Sesame Cookies (Ver. 2)
These black sesame cookies are a super easy twist on classic sugar cookies. This recipe uses black sesame paste so you don’t need to grind your own seeds. Nutty and naturally gray colored, these cookies look just like the moon!
Hello. Yes, I know, I’m back with yet ANOTHER black sesame cookie recipe. But I have good reason! You see, last Christmas, I made black sesame matcha neapolitan cookies. And lo and behold, my four-year-old LOVED just the black sesame part. So naturally, instead of eating the slobbery remnants of my children’s food like I normally do, I decided to make it easier on myself and just make an entire black sesame sugar cookie.
“But, Kristen, you already HAVE a black sesame cookie recipe!”
This is true. The Christmas BEFORE last, I made a thick and chunky black sesame cookie, which was well received at a Christmas party we went to. But my kids prefer the thinner, softer sugar cookie texture, and I think…. I do to?! I have ALWAYS been a thick and chunky cookie kind of girl but… I don’t know. I’ve changed. There’s something about that thin, flat, sugar cookie that hits just the right spot.
Plus, look how cute they look! I almost want to call them my “Dark Side of the Moon” cookies. They kind of look like the moon, right? I don’t know, maybe my kids have just brainwashed me. They’re so obsessed with Mulan these days.
Anyway, all that to say, here’s a more sugar cookie version of my black sesame cookies, based off my very FAVORITE sugar cookies by Sarah Kieffer. If you haven’t had a chance yet to check out her cookbook, 100 Cookies, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend it.
What is Black Sesame?
As the name implies, black sesame is a type of sesame seed that is naturally black in color. It has a deeper, nuttier, roasted kind of flavor than white sesame seeds. Black sesame is used in a variety of Asian foods. For example, can find it as a paste at the center of Chinese tang yuan. It’s also a common ice cream flavor in Japan and other countries. You can even mix it into milk for a black sesame latte!
Black Sesame Paste vs. Seeds
Most black sesame recipes that I see online require grinding black sesame seeds into a powder. However, I find that 1. it’s annoying to do, and 2. it doesn’t give the same PUNCH of color and flavor that paste does. Now, theoretically, you could grind seeds into a paste as well, just like making your own nut butter at home. But to be honest, buying the paste is easier. It IS more expensive, but, whatever. I’m busy, okay? I need convenience.
In any case, if you really don’t want to buy the paste, you can definitely grind your own seeds at home.
I buy my black sesame paste at my local Asian market, but you can find the exact brand I buy on Amazon!
Tips for Baking Sugar Cookies
After I had one of my cookie recipes go viral on Tiktok, I saw so many people’s videos making them! It was amazing! But it also meant I got to see a lot of places where people go wrong with baking cookies. So here are some tips!
Cream your butter and sugar properly.
I saw a LOOOOT of people on Tiktok trying to cream their super soft melty butter with a rubber spatula. NO. You are NOT going to get the aeration you need with a rubber spatula. And your butter should be around 60-65 degrees F, NOT about to melt.
If you don’t own an electric mixer, then I guess do the best you can.
Oh, and yes, I like to cream my baking soda with my butter! Stella Parks does that in all her cookie recipes, and has explained somewhere in a very science-y way that it helps the leavening ingredients work better in the cookie dough, so I do it too. My choice of baking soda vs. baking powder in this recipe was influenced by Sarah Kieffer, who uses baking soda in all her sugar cookies. And they’re the best. So there.
Don’t flatten your cookies before baking!
I’m not sure why this is a thing, but I see soooo many people flattening their cookies into circles before baking. You do not need to do this. Just put it in a sphere on the baking sheet and it will bake into a nice circle. Flattening your cookie dough actually makes some wonky looking cookies at the end.
Don’t overbake!
The longer you bake your cookies, the crispier they become. I prefer my cookies to be on the softer side, so I tend to pull them out at 8 or 9 minutes, but of course, all ovens vary slightly! Keep an eye on your cookies and aim for when the center doesn’t look too spongey, dense, or oily, but not completely dried out.
Anyway, these cookies are fairly easy, and even if you DO make these mistakes, I’m sure they will still taste delicious.
More Black Sesame Recipes
Looking for more ways to use up leftover black sesame? Try these out!
Black Sesame Cookies (Sugar Cookie Style)
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks
- 2 3/4 cups sugar
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2-3 tbsp black sesame paste, see note
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line several baking sheets.
- With an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Add black sesame paste, egg, and yolk, and mix until homogenous.
- Add flour and gently stir until just combined.
- Scoop 2 tbsp balls of cookie dough and place on your prepared baking sheets.
- Bake 8-10 minutes (I tend to err on the side of underbaked, since these are thinner cookies and sesame paste makes them crisp up more than regular sugar cookies).
- Let cool completely and enjoy! Leftover cookies can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container.
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Can black sesame powder mixed with sesame oil be subbed for black sesame paste?
I wouldn’t recommend it.
Can this be used with cookie cutters like regular sugar cookie dough?
Hi Ash, this dough does not roll-out that well as the recipe is written. If you want to give it a try, I recommend omitting the baking soda and decreasing the eggs to two egg yolks. Use extra flour to keep the dough from sticking. I haven’t tested the recipe exactly this way, so I can’t say for sure it would work, but that’s what I would do to trial it!
Is there any frosting you would suggest for these cookies? Or could we make a sort of black sesame frosting with the paste and powder sugar and milk?
Maybe if we do softer cookies with less paste and put some paste in a frosting? Any thoughts?
Hmmmm that’s a good question, I haven’t done a frosting with these cookies before, but my absolute favorite frosting recently has been my whipped cream cheese frosting. You can substitute ricotta instead if you don’t want a cream cheese flavor and add a little bit of the black sesame paste too if you want a DOUBLE black sesame flavor.
I followed the recipe as written and I created incredibly dry, hard cookies. I ended up adding in more sesame paste and the egg white from the second egg in and they turned out great after that. As written, the dough was very crumbly and dry. Maybe it was because I used a different sesame paste, but it was a very strange result.
Hi, am I able to make it and then freeze it to bake later? If so, what would you advise on handling the dough right after mixing?
Hi June, I haven’t tried freezing this one, so I’m not sure. I don’t have much experience with freezing nut-based cookies, but if you figure it out, let me know!