Black Sesame Lace Cookies

Black Sesame Lace Cookies
Black Sesame Lace Cookies
Before I opened Flour, I was lucky to get some local press about my new bakery and café. Just prior to opening day, the Boston Globe interviewed me for a cookie story and featured a bigger-than-life-size photo of my hand holding one of these lacy sesame cookies. They are gorgeous, but the ironic thing was that I didn't intend them as a selling point for Flour. A baking sheet of them just happened to be near me when the photographer asked for a prop. I'd been using the cookies for years in my restaurant work to garnish ice cream and sorbet desserts, and I wasn't planning to make them at Flour, because they seemed too brittle and delicate for the rough-and-tumble world of chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal scones. But when our doors opened, practically every other customer who walked in asked about the scrumptious-looking cookie in the newspaper and wanted to order one. We tried making them for a while, but, as I had suspected, they didn't hold up well stacked with the other cookies on our counter. Ever so slowly, we phased them out and customers eventually forgot about them. But they are fantastic for making at home! This is a wonderfully easy recipe made with ingredients that you probably already have in the kitchen, except for the black sesame seeds. Seek them out—you can find them in most Asian grocery stores and specialty food shops—because they contrast beautifully with the golden brown cookie and add a distinctive flavor. Serve them as I did during my restaurant days, with a bowl of ice cream or sorbet.
  • Preparing Time: -
  • Total Time: -
  • Served Person: Makes 24 cookies
Cookies Mixer Citrus Fruit Dessert Bake Orange Chill Seed Advance Prep Required Kidney Friendly Vegetarian Pescatarian Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free Kosher
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons black sesame seeds
  • Carbohydrate 11 g(4%)
  • Cholesterol 9 mg(3%)
  • Fat 4 g(6%)
  • Fiber 0 g(1%)
  • Protein 1 g(1%)
  • Saturated Fat 2 g(11%)
  • Sodium 2 mg(0%)
  • Calories 80

Preparation Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a handheld mixer or a wooden spoon), cream the butter until creamy and light, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and continue to beat on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until combined. Turn the speed down to low and add the flour and mix until well combined. Slowly drizzle in the orange juice and mix for about 30 seconds; the mixture will look a little broken, which is okay. Mix in the sesame seeds. Transfer the batter to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or for up to 1 week. When ready to bake cookies, position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a very flat baking sheet with parchment paper. (This batter spreads like crazy, so you have to use an extremely flat baking sheet in order for the cookies to bake in circles and not amoeba-like shapes.) Pinch off rounded tablespoon-size balls of dough and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are completely golden brown throughout. Let cool completely (they must be firm to the touch) on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Gently remove the cookies from the parchment. The cookies can be stored, in layers separated with sheets of parchment paper or waxed paper, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. From Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe by Joanne Chang with Christie Matheson. Text copyright © 2010 by Joanne Chang; photographs copyright © 2010 by Keller + Keller. Published by Chronicle Books LLC.

Preparation Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a handheld mixer or a wooden spoon), cream the butter until creamy and light, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and continue to beat on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until combined. Turn the speed down to low and add the flour and mix until well combined. Slowly drizzle in the orange juice and mix for about 30 seconds; the mixture will look a little broken, which is okay. Mix in the sesame seeds. Transfer the batter to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or for up to 1 week. When ready to bake cookies, position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a very flat baking sheet with parchment paper. (This batter spreads like crazy, so you have to use an extremely flat baking sheet in order for the cookies to bake in circles and not amoeba-like shapes.) Pinch off rounded tablespoon-size balls of dough and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until the cookies are completely golden brown throughout. Let cool completely (they must be firm to the touch) on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Gently remove the cookies from the parchment. The cookies can be stored, in layers separated with sheets of parchment paper or waxed paper, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. From Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe by Joanne Chang with Christie Matheson. Text copyright © 2010 by Joanne Chang; photographs copyright © 2010 by Keller + Keller. Published by Chronicle Books LLC.

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