black sesame cookies with coconut sugar

these earthy and nutty cookies are made with black sesame seeds, tahini, rye flour, and white chocolate and naturally sweetened with coconut sugar

The other week my husband and I went to an Asian market to grab some ingredients to make a Thai dish at home (one of our favorite things to do!). While we were there, I, of course, was looking around for any ingredients I could bake with and ended up coming home with a bottle of black sesame seeds. I had never baked with black sesame seeds before so I wanted to experiment and see if I could find a way to incorporate them into a baked good in a way that would balance out their flavor since black sesame seeds tend to have a more intense, pronounced flavor than the white ones due to the presence of the hull. The result are these delicious black sesame cookies that are naturally sweetened with coconut sugar and include tahini, white chocolate, and rye flour. The combination of all of these ingredients produces such a tasty earthy/nutty cookie that is unlike anything I've ever had before. If you are looking for a unique bake to impress friends or family with, this cookie is definitely the one!

As noted, these cookies are naturally sweetened with coconut sugar, which is the dehydrated and boiled sap of the coconut palm flower that goes through minimal processing and thus retains many of its inherent nutritional properties. To learn more about coconut sugar and other natural sweeteners, check out my natural sweetener 101 post.

These black sesame cookies are such a unique treat and I hope you will give them a try! If you are looking for other naturally sweetened cookie recipes, check out my rye chocolate chip cookies with sucanat or my chocolate halva cookies with sucanat. Enjoy!

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this time two years ago …

banana pudding cake with coconut sugar & dates

this time last year …

zucchini muffins with dates & maple syrup

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black sesame cookies

makes 24 cookies

ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 120 grams coconut sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 65 grams tahini

• 70 grams black sesame seeds, toasted and ground

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 90 grams rye flour

• 90 grams all purpose flour

• 60 grams white chocolate, chopped

directions

1. Combine the 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter and 120 grams coconut sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer; beat for 3-5 minutes, until well combined and lighter. Mix in the 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 65 grams tahini.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the 70 grams ground black sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 90 grams rye flour, and 90 grams all purpose flour. Add to the mixing bowl and mix until combined. Lastly, stir in the 60 grams chopped white chocolate.

3. Refrigerate the dough at least a few hours and up to overnight. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat liner. Scoop cookie dough onto the sheets (these won't spread so they can be spaced just a couple inches apart). Bake for 10-12 minutes.