Black Sesame Blondies

The idea for this recipe actually came from a follower! She made my matcha blondie recipe, but decided to substitute black sesame for matcha powder. And I was like “wow that’s a great idea!”. So I decided to turn that idea into a blog post. I improved my blondie recipe a bit for these black sesame blondies by reducing the flour to give it a more chewy texture. They turned out amazing! So thank you to whoever suggested it! I forgot your name, but this recipe is for you!

What’s the difference between brownies and blondies?

Blondies and brownies are very similar. The main differences between the two is that blondies are made mostly with brown sugar, and they don’t utilize melted chocolate. Blondies also typically have mix ins like chocolate chips, nuts, and dried berries. Brownies can have nuts, but in most cases, are served without any mix ins. Texture wise, they are pretty similar. Blondies texture wise are somewhere in between chewy cookies and fudgy brownies.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Black sesame seeds – Black sesame seeds give the blondie its black color and flavor. You can also use black sesame powder for this recipe, but I would recommend reducing the amount to a 1/3 cup.
• All purpose flour – This is the main dry ingredient in this recipe. A good gluten free substitute would be sweet rice flour, but the texture will be a bit chewier than AP flour. Sweet rice flour also tends to be drier, so I would use 1/2 cup if using sweet rice flour.
• Baking powder – Baking powder helps the blondie rise.
• Brown sugar – Adds sweetness to the blondie. I used light brown sugar because I wanted my blondie to be less sweet. You can also use dark brown sugar for this recipe which will make the blondie sweeter and chewier. A question I get asked a lot is “can I use less sugar”. The short answer is yes, but it will change the texture of the blondie. Using less sugar will make the blondie less chewy and more cakey.
• Unsalted butter – I used browned butter for this recipe because I like the intense, nutty flavor it has.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the blondie. Vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean are good alternatives.
• Salt – Brings out the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Egg – Adds richness to the blondie and makes them chewy.
• Chocolate chips – You can add up to a cup of any mix in you want. I chose 67% cacao chocolate chips since that is what I had in my pantry. Other options are nuts and dried berries.

Making my black sesame blondies

These blondies are so so easy to make! Brown the butter. Heat butter over medium high heat until it melts. Lower the heat to medium low and cook until brown bits start to appear. Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl to cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Grease a 8×8 baking pan with butter and line with parchment paper. Set aside. Toast black sesame seeds in a small pan for 15-30 seconds. Using a spice grinder, break the black sesame seeds into powder. Pour into a small bowl. Add the flour and baking powder and mix. Set aside.

Add brown sugar and vanilla extract to the large bowl with browned butter. Mix until just combined. Add the egg and salt. Whisk until combined. Sift your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Lastly, add in the chocolate chips and mix. Spoon batter into your prepared baking pan. Smooth it out with a spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let blondies cool for 10 minutes before cutting into them.

Tips on how to make the perfect black sesame blondies

Light vs dark brown sugar

I tested this with light and dark brown sugar, and I found that I liked light brown sugar better because it was less sweet. However if you prefer a sweeter blondie, I would recommend using dark brown sugar. You can also choose to use 1/2 light and 1/2 dark.

Sift the dry ingredients to prevent clumping

Black sesame seeds tend to clump a bit, so I sifted my dry ingredients into my wet ingredients. This is something I do in a lot of black sesame desserts like my black sesame mochi donuts. This helps the blondies get a very even black coloring.

Customize your blondies with mix ins

As mentioned before, you can choose from a variety of mix ins for your blondies. Some that work well are nuts, dried berries, potato chips, and chocolate chips. You can also choose to make them without any mix ins.

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