These Black Sesame Cookies are buttery, nutty, crisp and so addicting. With a unique combination of sweet and savory flavors, they are delightful with a cup of morning coffee or afternoon tea. The perfect holiday cookies to make and gift!
Have you tried black sesame seeds in cookies before? With a rich nutty aroma and textures, black sesame is easily one of the most popular ingredients used in Japanese baked goods and confectionery.
These Black Sesame Cookies (黒胡麻クッキー) are buttery and nutty, and I’m sure you are going to fall in love with them.
Black Sesame Seeds in Japanese Cuisine
Know as the very first culinary spice, sesame seeds are widely used in Japanese, Chinese, and many other Asian cultures. In Japanese cooking, you can find sesame seeds being used to flavor desserts and sweets such as mochi, ice cream, cakes, cookies, muffins and more. Its uses are so dynamic that we use it in both sweet and savory dishes.
In this icebox cookie recipe, sesame seeds impart an incredibly rich aroma and nutty flavor that it’s impossible not to love.
What Makes This Cookie a Favorite?
- Buttery & crisp
- Unique, nutty flavor from the black sesame seeds
- A touch of savory in the cookies (not overly sweet)
- Easy to bake
- Festive looking from the crushed sesame seeds (like sparkles)
- Freezer-friendly (up to a month!) and ideal for holiday gifting
Just like the Matcha Cookies, they are equally popular and sold everywhere at bakeries in Japan.
Two Types of Flours in Sesame Cookies
I used both all-purpose flour and almond flour/ meal to give these cookies an enhanced nutty flavor and texture. You can find almond flour and almond meal in the market, and both work for this recipe.
The main difference between the two is that the almond meal is much more coarsely ground. You’d be able to see small brown specks of almond skins in the final result. Since the speckled look is what we are after, an almond meal is great for these sesame cookies.
My favorite brand, Bob’s Red Mill, carries both Natural Almond Meal and Almond Meal/Flour. You can also find almond meal at Trader Joe’s at a cheaper price.
I hope you enjoy these delicious sweet and savory Black Sesame Cookies. You can use white, black, or both sesame seeds for these cookies. My favorite is definitely the black ones!
More Easy Holiday Cookies You’ll Love:
- Matcha Green Tea Cookies
- Butter Cookies
- Cherry Blossom Cookies
- Meyer Lemon Cookies
- Chinese Almond Cookies
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Black Sesame Cookies
Ingredients
- 120 g unsalted butter (½ cup (8 Tbsp, 1 stick) + ½ Tbsp)
- 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour (plain flour) (weigh your flour; for weights, click the Metric button; or use the “fluff and sprinkle“ method and level it off)
- 40 g almond meal (¼ cup + 4 tsp; I used Trader Joe‘s almond meal)
- 6 Tbsp sugar
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 5 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds
- 1 large egg yolk (use only the yolk for the most crumbly, rich, and crisp texture; you can add the whole egg, but the final texture will be different)
Instructions
- Before You Start: Gather all the ingredients. I highly encourage you to weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale for this recipe. For weights, click the Metric button above. If you‘re using a cup measurement, please follow the “fluff and sprinkle“ method: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup, and level it off. Otherwise, you may scoop more flour than you need.
To Make the Dough
- Cut 120 g unsalted butter (½ cup + ½ Tbsp) into small cubes. Keep them refrigerated until ready to use (I cut it on parchment paper and wrap up the butter for easy transfer).
- In a food processor, combine 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour (plain flour), 40 g almond meal (¼ cup + 4 tsp), 6 Tbsp sugar, and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you don’t have a food processor, you can simply use a bowl to mix all the ingredients.
- If you want a finer texture for your 5 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds, add them now to the food processor. If you prefer to keep them whole, add them later with the egg yolk.
- Take out the butter from the refrigerator, add to the food processor, and mix together. If you use a regular bowl to mix, use a dough/pastry blender to combine the butter into the dry ingredients.
- Lastly, add 1 large egg yolk.
- If the food processor is small (like mine) and it doesn’t look like it’s mixed completely, take it out and mix well with a silicone spatula.
To Roll and Chill the Dough
- Put the dough on your work surface. Form it into a ball and divide into 2 equal portions.
- Roll each portion into a log approximately 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. For me, it’s easier to work the dough when it is wrapped in plastic wrap. While rolling, unwrap some parts of the plastic wrap, then roll again. Form a nice shape.
- Wrap the logs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, for at least 1 hour (you can put them in the freezer to speed up the process as well). Tip: You can place the dough logs on a bed of raw rice to prevent them from becoming flat on the bottom.
To Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Remove the plastic wrap and cut the dough into discs about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. If you prefer thicker cookies, cut into discs about ½ inch (1.3 cm) for a total of 20 thick cookies.
- Place them on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. If you are baking in batches, make sure to keep the second batch in the refrigerator to chill until it‘s time to bake.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Store
- Store cookies in an airtight container. Enjoy the cookies within 3 days while they are freshest, or keep them in the freezer for up to a month.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on December 13, 2012. The content has been updated in January 2020.
Can I use flour to replace almond flour? If so is it by 1:1 ratio? I don’t have almond flour and would like to make it but free.
Hmmm. You probably can, but I haven’t tried it, so I can’t be too sure… If you try, let us know how it goes. The texture will definitely change though. 🙂
Hi Naomi,
I ended up adding 40g of sesame to your butter cookie (Hato Sabure) recipe and it worked out beautifully! Will definitely make it again. Thanks for both of your recipes!
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Connie! Glad it worked out! 🙂
No thank you for two delicious recipes NAMI!
Hi Nami
Thank you so much for the recipe! I made them into bitesize cookies and they’re all gone from the jar within the next day. I’ve used black sesame powder and white sesame seeds. Love the flavor and they lingers on my palate 😉
Hi TsuAnn! Aww I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you so much for trying my recipe! 🙂
Absolutely fabulous and easy recipe! Cookies came out so delicious that my 2 year old toddler and my husband started fighting over the last piece.
Hi Seva! I’m so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it and for your kind feedback. 🙂 xoxo
Do you think it would work to replace the almond meal with regular flour for those with nut allergies?
Hi Olivia! I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure if you can swap the ingredient without adjusting the amount. It’ll be less crisp but should work. 🙂
I have all the ingredients to make these, however, they make a lot of cookies….and they only store for 1 or 2 days?? Did i read that right? So whatevers not eaten after a day or two should be disposed of?
Hi Amy! They are thin and small cookies (not American size). I’ve changed to 3 days in the recipe. To taste the good quality cookies, they should be eaten within 3 days while they are best, but can be eaten up till 7 days. It’s just that they are not at its best.
Hi Nami! Thank you for the recipe! I really want to make this since I have been looking for recipes using black sesame paste and I was wondering if I can use the paste instead of the sesame seeds instead since I already have the paste. Thank you so much! 🙂
Hi Hesper! Is it liquid? I am actually not too sure how it would be like without testing. If you end up trying, let us know how it goes. 🙂
It’s actually a paste! I’ll let you know if i do end up trying! 😀
Oh that’s good, it should work. Keep me posted and good luck! 🙂
Hi Nami-
The sesame cookies look amazing. I want to make them but I can’t figure out your conversions to US measurements. 5.6 oz is slightly under a cup but the converting the almond flour is hard. Do you have easier measurements that can be posted?
Thanks Nami!
Hi Michelle! Ughhhh I wish! Back then (second year of my blogging), I didn’t measure in both metric and American cup… (now I do!)
For baking recipes, I always use metric system to be precise. If I had almond flour I would measure it with cups for you but I currently don’t have it. 🙁 So sorry…
Hi! Can I use all purpose flour instead of almond meal?
Hi Casel! I haven’t tried replacing the almond meal with all purpose flour. I see doing opposite for gluten free, so I assume it’s possible. I just don’t know how it will be. Sorry I wish I knew…
I made these today. This recipe is a winner! My family’s sweet tolerance is a bit low so I might reduce the sugar level next time but these were really good when paired with tea.
Hi Van! I’m so happy you liked this recipe! Hope you can adjust the sugar amount to your family’s liking. 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback!
These are excellent, and got approval from a bunch of Japanese housewives. I’m trying out adjusting the recipe to replace the almond meal with ground black sesame to intensify the color.
Hi Josh! So happy to hear Japanese housewives enjoyed these cookies. 🙂 Oh that sounds like a great idea!
Nami- I just made the cookie dough but it seems too dry. Is it supposed to be like that? It was difficult to roll it into the shape- it wasn’t sticking together…I followed the recipe exactly… 🙁
Hi Susan! The texture is like butter cookies/shortbread/icebox cookies. I wouldn’t say the texture of the cookies is “dry” but it’s rather crispy cookies and not “moist and chewy” type. Maybe your dry ingredients were more than mine? I know the environment/weather affects to the dough, but shouldn’t be a drastic change I think….
They came out well, in the end, I think maybe the butter just didn’t disperse to all the dry ingredients because even after an hour in the fridge, the ends of the logs were just dry ingredients. They were good, though!
Hi Susan! I see. I used to have a smaller food processor (like one in this picture) so the mixing part was tricky. Now with a big one, I have more room to spin around. 🙂 Glad to hear you enjoyed the cookies. Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
Hi. I have food allergies. How do you think these would turn out with hazelnut or peanut meal and gluten free flour? Thanks!!!
Hi Aimee! I have never tried this recipe with different flour, so I can’t tell how it will work out. Sorry Aimee! Since sesame tastes is subtle, try with GF flour first? Maybe other nut flour might be overwhelming to sesame flavors.
Hi, I’ve enjoyed your chiffon cake recipe! If I don’t have a food processor, could I cream the butter in a stand mixer using the paddle?
Hi Karen! Thank you for trying my chiffon cake recipe before and I’m glad to hear you liked it! 🙂 I think stand mixer will work. I haven’t tried, but if it’s fast enough… Let me know if you try and it doesn’t work….
Hi Nami!
I’ve just tried making them with the stand mixer using the paddles today, it worked out very well for me, thanks for the recipe!
Hi Karen! Sweet! Thanks so much for getting back to me. I’m glad to find out it worked! Thank you!!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! :D. I’m using a bow to mix all ingredients. I’m wondering if I melt the butter and add it directly to the mix, would it still work?
Hi Jenny! There is difference between cold cut butter and melted butter in the dough (so my answer is no). Cold butter mixes with flour and creates pockest of fat that melt and make for a lighter more airy pastry while melted butter acts more like oil. 🙂
Really love this recipe! I’ve tried it today and the cookies came out perfect! My kids will love them! Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Amy! So glad to hear you liked this recipe and thanks so much for the kind feedback. 🙂
By the way I read your recent post on your blog and really love your birthday party ideas! So pretty!
Hi Nami,
Can i know the all purpose flour you use is bleached or unbleached?
everytime i use unbleached flour the cookies turned out very hard like rock.
thanks
soshin
Hi Soshin! I usually use bleached flour – I know it’s not ideal, but I am not much of a baker so I consider it’s okay.. haha =P
haaa…thank you nami. That’s real quick.
I always put health in priority thats why the taste is always not ideal.
But will give a try with bleached flour.
thanks again.
It’s an ideal if both works – taste and health. But I don’t mind eating not so healthy but tasty one only occasionally to keep good health. =P