black sesame seeds — BAKING

ingredients

1 2/3 cups flour

1/3 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/3 cup finely ground black sesame seeds

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chunks

black sesame seeds for topping

directions

Preheat oven at 350 and cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, ground black sesame seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix sugar and butter at medium speed, until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.

Add eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract and soy sauce. Mix until incorporated.

Add the flour mixture and mix at medium-low speed, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Fold in the chocolate chips and chunks with a spatula.

With a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop, or a medium cookie scoop, scoop out balls of dough of approximately 1 to 1.5 inch in diameter.

Place the dough on the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Press the balls of dough down a bit, to facilitate the spreading, and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

Bake for approximately 12 minutes.

Leave the cookies on their cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

And that’s it! I did find the cookies very enjoyable but I still feel like the sesame flavor did not shine enough. In the future, I’ll tweak the recipe a bit, and I might try using black sesame paste instead of simply powder. I’ll also have to find a way to make the cookies look a little prettier because these look like weird little sesame paddies instead of cookies. I don’t know what happened!

They taste good, though! If you’re into dry crunchy cookies, look elsewhere because I am all about chewy ones! Though they don’t look the part, these are very tender, with a good bite. I also love combining chocolate chips with chocolate chunks for some texture. Chunks in chewy cookies are simply the best!

Enjoy!

This dreadful and seemingly endless winter we’ve had this year is over and ice cream season has finally come! Ice cream is undoubtedly my favorite dessert because it’s got everything to make life better: it’s sweet, cold, refreshing and comes in so many different flavors and textures that we can never get bored!

That being said, we often times have to search for special flavors. Stores always sell the same old traditional flavors while parlors that actually make original flavors are rare and usually not that accessible. That’s why, a few summers ago, I decided to invest in my very own ice cream machine. I can now make any ice cream I want, whenever I want! Truth be told, making a proper good ice cream is not that easy and requires some patience, which I do not have when in the midst of a serious craving. But I still consider a 45 minute commute and waiting in line behind a bunch of undecided people who cannot make up their mind already, the worst of all possible options.

Anyways, after having made regular ice creams like vanilla or pistachio, I decided to tackle something different: black sesame seeds. I love sesame seeds. They add so much flavor, depth and texture to meals, it’s incredible. Though black sesame seeds pretty much taste the same as the white ones, their color is the reason why I chose them over white sesame. I wanted something different, something that would stand out.

Not only is the result eye catching, but it’s also delicious! The taste is incredible, the ice cream is unctuous and the little sprinkle of toasted black sesame seeds on top adds a very welcome crunch. Amazing!

ingredients

Black sesame paste

1/2 cup black sesame seeds
1 tbsp honey

Ice cream

Black sesame paste
1.5 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4 egg yolks
1.5 cup cold heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping (optional)

2 tbsp black sesame seeds
1/8 tsp salt

directions

Roast the black sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat. Set aside fora few minutes to cool.
Grind the sesame seeds in a food processor. When a paste starts to form, add the honey. Continue grinding to mix the ingredients together and until the mixture attains a paste-like consistency. The whole mixture must be able to hold together.
In a bowl, vigorously whisk egg yolks. Set aside.
In a pot over medium heat, mix together milk, sugar, sesame paste and salt, stirring regularly until the sugar dissolves.
With a ladle, add the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks, one spoonful at a time, whisking constantly so the eggs don’t curdle. Mix until incorporated.
Return the mixture to the pan and heat over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. If you can draw a line on the back of the spoon, you can stop stirring.
Pour the cold heavy cream in a bowl and pour the milk mixture in it as well. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Cover the surface with a plastic wrap and put the bowl in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
Make the ice cream in the ice cream machine, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container, cover and freeze until firm.
In the meantime, prepare the topping by roasting the remaining sesame seeds with the salt. Transfer into a bowl and set aside to cool.

Before scooping, let the ice cream rest a bit at room temperature, as it tends to harden a bit in the freezer. Once scooped, top it with a bit of salty roasted sesame seeds, or with the topping of your choice.

If you’re looking for a different flavor, this one is definitely it. The flavor is rich and dense, but quite indescribable. I must admit that it is not for everyone but it absolutely deserves a try!