Black Sesame Cookies

Name: Black Sesame Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 24 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, at room temperature; ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey; 1 (50 g) large egg, at room temperature; ½ teaspoon (2½ ml) vanilla extract; 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour; ½ teaspoon (2½ g) baking powder; ½ teaspoon (1.3 g) ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon (1½ g) fine sea salt; ¾ cup (120 g) black sesame seeds

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Nutty, subtly sweet black sesame cookies inspired by Middle Eastern flavors. Toasted sesame seeds give these buttery, crispy-edged cookies an earthy depth, while warm cinnamon and a touch of honey create a sophisticated spice profile. Perfect for tea or as a simple dessert.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 12 min
Wait: 5 min
Total: 32 min
Makes: 24 cookies

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Steps

Before you start

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C)
Bring butter to room temperature (about 1 hour)
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper

1
Cream butter and sugar
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2–3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- The mixture should pale slightly and increase in volume.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Ready when: Mixture is pale and fluffy
Tip: Don't skip this step—creaming aerates the dough, creating tender cookies.
2
Add honey, egg, and vanilla
- Add the honey, room-temperature egg, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture.
- Beat on medium speed for 1 minute until fully combined and smooth.
- If the mixture looks slightly curdled, continue beating—it will come together.
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Ready when: Mixture is smooth and homogeneous
Tip: Room-temperature egg prevents the batter from seizing up.
3
Mix dry ingredients
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Set aside.
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Ready when: Cinnamon is evenly distributed throughout flour
Tip: Whisking breaks up any lumps in the baking powder and distributes the cinnamon evenly.
4
Combine wet and dry
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture.
- Fold gently with a spatula until just combined—don't overmix.
- A few flour streaks are okay.
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Ready when: Flour is mostly incorporated, some streaks remain
Tip: Overmixing develops gluten and can make cookies tough instead of tender.
5
Fold in sesame seeds
- Fold the black sesame seeds into the dough until evenly distributed.
- The dough will be thick and slightly sticky.
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Ready when: Black sesame seeds are evenly scattered throughout dough
Tip: Reserve 1 teaspoon of seeds to sprinkle on top of each cookie if desired for extra visual appeal.
6
Shape cookies
- Drop rounded teaspoons of dough (about 0.5 inch or 1.3 cm diameter) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1.5 inches (4 cm) apart.
- Gently flatten each cookie with the tines of a fork, pressing down lightly to about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
- You should get about 24 cookies.
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Ready when: Cookies are uniform in thickness and evenly spaced
Tip: Dip your fork in water between presses to prevent sticking.
7
Bake cookiesOven 350°F / 175°C
- Place both baking sheets into a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven.
- Bake for 11–13 minutes, until the edges are light golden brown and the centers still look slightly soft.
- The cookies will firm up as they cool.
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Ready when: Edges are light golden, centers are just set but still soft
Tip: Don't overbake—cookies continue to cook on the hot pan after removal. Slightly underbaked is better than dry.
8
Cool on pan and rack
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven.
- Let cookies rest on the hot baking sheets for 3 minutes—this helps them firm up without hardening.
- Transfer them to a cooling rack and let them cool completely, about 30 minutes.
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Ready when: Cookies are completely cool to the touch and crispy
Tip: Moving cookies too soon causes them to break. The 3-minute rest on the pan is essential.

Good to know

Tips

Black sesame seeds have an earthy, toasty flavor that's distinctly different from white sesame—they're worth sourcing from a Middle Eastern market or online. The darker color also creates a striking visual appeal.
For extra flavor, lightly toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2–3 minutes before folding them into the dough. This intensifies their nutty character.
These cookies pair wonderfully with strong tea, Turkish coffee, or cardamom coffee. Their subtle sweetness makes them elegant alongside other desserts.
Store sesame seeds in the freezer to keep them fresh longer—their oils can go rancid at room temperature after a few months.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: up to 5 days in an airtight container. Fridge: up to 1 week. Freezer: up to 2 months in an airtight freezer bag. No reheating needed; serve straight from storage.

Substitutions

black sesame seeds → white sesame seeds or a mix of black and white. White sesame seeds will give a milder, slightly less earthy flavor but the same nutty crunch. Black sesame has a deeper, more distinctive flavor.
ground cinnamon → 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder (instead of full 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon). Cardamom is more floral and adds a sophisticated Middle Eastern note that complements sesame beautifully.
honey → light brown sugar, same amount (30 ml). Brown sugar adds depth but will make the cookies slightly less shiny. Honey provides moisture and a subtle floral sweetness.
vanilla extract → 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Almond extract enhances the nutty sesame flavor; use sparingly as it's more potent than vanilla.