Black Sesame Sugar Cookies

Black sesame cookies decorated as rocks on a lined baking sheet.

5 from 1 vote

My black sesame sugar cookies are soft and chewy with hints of nutty, earthy flavors. The dough can be made with either black sesame paste or powder and comes together within 10 minutes!

And if you want, you can decorate them as rocks from Over the Garden Wall, like I did. :)

Prep Time10

Cook Time9

Chill time30

Total Time49

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Chinese

Servings: cookies

Calories: 243kcal

Author: Bianca Fernandez

Equipment

Kitchen scale/measuring cups
Measuring spoons
1 small plate for rolling dough in sugar
1 medium mixing bowl for dry ingredients
1 large mixing bowl for mixing dough
1 silicone spatula
1 Medium cookie scoop 2-3 tablespoon capacity
2 Cookie sheets
Parchment Paper
small microwave-safe bowls, optional for rock design
Piping bags optional for rock design

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour if using black sesame powder instead of paste, use 1 ¼ cups (156 g) instead
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Wet ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter melted and room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
3 tablespoons black sesame paste or 3 tablespoons (24 g) powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or paste
1 egg

For rolling:

⅛ cup granulated sugar

Decoration for face:

3 tablespoons white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon milk or dark chocolate chips
oil-based food coloring see steps

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Instructions

For the cookie dough:

In a large bowl, use silicone spatula to mix melted ½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons black sesame paste until combined.
Add 1 egg and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Mix until smooth.
Add in all of the dry ingredients: 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Mix until no dry spots remain.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 2 days.

When I do longer chill times, I like to pre-scoop cookie dough into balls, closely line them on a parchment tray, and chill them.

When it's time to bake, I break off the dough balls, roll them in sugar, and bake. Pre-scooping is easier on my hands and wrists than working with chilled, firmer dough.

Scoop & bake cookies:

Preheat oven to 325°F/162°C and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
In a small bowl or plate, add ⅛ cup granulated sugar for rolling the cookie dough balls.
Use cookie dough scoop to gather dough (2-3 tablespoons). Roll into granulated sugar and place on lined baking tray, spacing cookies about 3-4 inches apart.

For rounder cookies, place a larger circular cutter or mug on a freshly baked, warm cookie. Move it in a circular motion. This "cookie scoot" helps create perfectly round cookies for a more aesthetic look. However, it’s not necessary and purely for pretty plating purposes. 🙂

Bake for 9-11 minutes. Let cool on pan for about 5-10 minutes, then transfer cookies to wire rack.

For the rock faces (optional):

You can a piping bag, toothpick, or cookie scribe to add on the details. I used piping bags.

If you don't have oil-based food coloring, then the chocolate will seize/become lumpy. To counter this, stir in a tsp of neutral oil (canola, vegetable) at a time, until it becomes smooth again.

Add 3 tablespoons white chocolate chips to small microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until fully melted.
Use about a tablespoon of melted white chocolate for the whites of the eyes.
Dye some melted white chocolate with blue oil-based food coloring. Use this for the eyes.
Dye some melted white chocolate with yellow oil-based food coloring. Use this for the lips.
Melt 1 tablespoon milk or dark chocolate chips in another bowl, and use this for the inner mouth.
Dye remaining melted white chocolate with red oil-based food coloring. Use this for the tongues.
Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Baking tip:

Weigh your ingredients! One of my favorite kitchen tools is a kitchen scale because it’s more accurate than measuring by volume. If you use cups, spoon the flour in gently, then level it with a knife or spatula.

Storage instructions:

Room temperature: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Freezing instructions: Store cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. You can also freeze cookie dough balls for up to 3 months and bake from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to the bake time.
Reheating instructions: Allow frozen (already baked) cookies to thaw at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Or, reheat in the microwave at 10-second intervals.

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