Open Sesame
Sesame has been cultivated by man for thousands of years, used as an oil, eaten as a sweet (halva), enjoyed as a dip (tehina), preferred as a crust on a tasty slice of pan-fried Atlantic bluefin tuna and appearing often at #12 as Crispy Sesame Chicken on your local Chinese takeaway menu.
In short, sesame seeds are one of the oldest and most versatile, not to mention magical (Ali Baba), ingredients known to the culinary world.
Sesame cookies made with tehina (sesame paste) and coated in sesame seeds before baking are a real treat not to be missed. A simple, easy and quick recipe brimming with health and exotic oriental vibes.
This is a great and simple recipe from Martha Stewart’s book Cookie Perfection. It came highly recommended to me and I pass on the high recommendation to you.
Ingredients:
- One egg
- All purpose flour x 1½ cups
- Baking soda x ¾ teaspoon
- Coarse sea salt x ½ teaspoon
- Unsalted butter at room temperature x 1 stick (half a cup)
- White sugar x 1 cup
- Vanilla essence/extract x 1 teaspoon
- Raw tahini paste x ½ cup
- Sesame seeds x ½ cup, half of them black, half of them white, or if you prefer just use one colour.
Method:
In a bowl mix together flour, baking soda and sea salt then set aside. Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla until it becomes fluffy and pale in colour, then add the tahina paste. Beat for a few seconds until combined. On a low speed add the dry ingredients (flour) for a very short time until just combined. Cover with Glad Wrap and place bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180°C, mix sesame seeds in a bowl. Using the measuring spoon, scoop 2 tablespoons of mixture and roll into a ball, place in the bowl of sesame seeds and ensure it’s well coated by the seeds, place each ball on the trays with baking paper, ensuring each ball is about 6-7 cm apart, as they will spread significantly.
Bake the biscuits until they start to get colour, 15-17 minutes. Remove to cool. If you don’t overcook them, they will remain soft and slightly chewy on the inside.
Open Sesame with Sesame Cookies!
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