Toasted Sesame Cookies
"In my first book, my chocolate chip cookie recipe had a variation that included toasted sesame oil. I’ve snuck it in again here, but this time around I’ve added white and black sesame seeds as well. ...
"This cookie was inspired by pastry chef Matthew Rice's Neapolitan cookie, which I stumbled upon while searching Pinterest for the color pink. This cookie popped up, and I was intrigued by the pretty colors all rolled together. I headed straight to the kitchen. I used my sugar cookie as a base and came up with the version here. My children beg for this cookie, and it's worth the extra steps needed to create it." -- Sarah Kieffer
Editor's Note: "These cookies are now also my husband's favorite cookie. If it were up to him, I'd make these every week. I made them for Mother's Day this year, and they were a huge hit." -- Ann Walczak, Associate Editor
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 20 Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 or 3 drops red food coloring, optional
- 2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
- white, pink, and brown sprinkles for rolling, optional
Preparation
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line three sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In bowl of food processor fitted with a blade, pulverize strawberries into a powder.
4. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg, yolk, and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until combined. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.
5. Dump dough out onto a work surface and divide it into three equal portions. Put one-third of dough back into the mixer and add the powdered strawberries and food coloring, if using. Mix on low speed until totally combined, then remove the dough and quickly wipe out the bowl of the mixer.
6. Add another third of dough to the mixer. Add cocoa powder and mix on low speed until totally combined.
7. Pinch a small portion (about ½ oz) of each of the three doughs, and press them gently together so they adhere to each other, but keep their unique colors. Press the piece into a cookie scoop or roll it into a ball, then roll the ball into sprinkles (if using). Place 6 or 7 cookies on each sheet pan. Bake cookies one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake until the sides are just set and the cookies are puffed, 10 to 11 minutes. (Cookies will look a little underbaked.)
8. Transfer sheet pan to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for 5 to 10 minutes on the pan, then remove them and let them cool completely on the wire rack. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
NOTE: "You can use black cocoa powder for a darker color. The powdered strawberries on their own won’t give a bright pink hue, so add a little food coloring if you'd like a brighter pink. I also like to roll each individual color of dough into the same color of sprinkles, but you can mix and match however your heart desires." --Sarah
(Ann used some silver sprinkles to roll the whole ball in and they turned out beautifully.)
About this recipe
Reprinted from 100 Cookies by Sarah Kieffer with permission by Chronicle Books, 2020.
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