Sesame Cookies: Day 5 of Holiday Cookies

It isn’t intentional and may be a blogosphere faux pax for all I know.  Like posting multiple pics on Instagram on a single day which my kids tell me I shouldn’t do.  But after posting Sally’s Sesame Cookies I stumbled across another recipe for sesame seed cookies on of all places the Huffington Post.  I did a bit of sleuthing as I am prone to do and found that the recipe was created by Dorie Greenspan and first published in Food & Wine magazine.  That made this recipe a no brainer.  After all Cookies + Dorie Greenspan is a slam dunk as far as I am concerned.  So here it is a second sesame seed cookie!

This is perfect for cocktail hour.  These cookies are salty with just a touch of sweetness and would compliment any happy hour libation.  They have the fine crumb of shortbread and ooze buttery goodness.  Totally my kind of cookie plus I love the black and white sesame seeds.  To top it off they are quick and easy to make.  See? SLAM DUNK.

I chose a duet to go along with this cookie since it has 2 kinds of sesame seeds and drinks are mentioned in the song.  Its a classic with about a billion renditions out there.  I like the version by a favorite artist of mine James Taylor.  Here it is, JT (the original one) with Natalie Cole, Baby It’s Cold Outside.

A food processor makes quick work of the dough (snap) which is then chilled for couple of hours (time to cyber-shop).  I originally thought I would cut the dough into little bars but they look better round.   I used a 1.5 inch cutter which made them the perfect one bite cookie. Don’t be alarmed by the amount of salt, it is suppose to be salty but is not overly so.  The recipe in Huffington Post calls for adding water to help the dough clump but Food & Wine does not.  I was able to get the dough to clump without using water.  I poured the dough into a ziplock bag and smooshed the dough just until it came together.  Don’t overmix!  Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness using the sides of the bag to create a nice straight edge.  It may not fill the entire zip-lock bag but at least you will have 3 even sides.  Chill dough until firm.  If the dough gets too soft as you are cutting out the cookies, place in fridge or freezer for a couple of minutes to firm it up. You can find almond meal in most markets now a days thanks to the gluten free movement.   Two pound bags are available at Costco and are quite reasonable.  Black sesame seeds can be found at most Asian markets and probably at Whole Foods.

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Sweet & Salty Sesame Cookies

Ingredients

• From Food & Wine Magazine by Dorie Greenspan
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup almond meal or ground almonds see Note
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 large egg beaten
• Black and white sesame seeds for sprinkling ( 1:1)

Instructions

• In a food processor, pulse the flour, almond meal, sugar and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms large clumps.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead gently until it comes together. Divide the dough in half and press each half into a disk. Roll out each disk between 2 sheets of wax paper to 1/4 inch thick. Slide the wax paper–covered disks onto a baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour, until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one piece of dough at a time, peel off the top sheet of wax paper. Using a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out the cookies as close together as possible. Arrange the cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Lightly brush the cookies with the egg and sprinkle with the black and white sesame seeds.
• Bake the sesame cookies for 17 to 20 minutes, until they are lightly browned; shift the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely.

MAKE AHEAD

• The rolled-out frozen cookie dough can be wrapped in plastic and kept frozen for up to 2 weeks; thaw the dough slightly before using. The baked cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

NOTES

• Almond meal is available at health food stores and at many grocery stores. To make your own, process 4 1/2 ounces blanched almonds until finely ground.

SUGGESTED PAIRING

• Green-appley California sparkling wine: NV Scharffenberger Brut