Chewy Honey Sesame Cookies

Growing up, we always had sesame peanut candy at holiday get togethers whether that be Lunar New Year or Christmas. These candies were the epitome of “not too sweet”. However, I never liked how they stuck to your teeth, so I developed these honey sesame cookies to emulate the flavor of these candies without the stickiness. These tender cookies are not only yummy, they come together in just over 30 minutes, so you can get dessert on the table in no time.

Growing up, a candy we always had around big holidays like Lunar New Year was sesame peanut candy. When I was little, I remember going to Asian grocery stores to pick out this candy and almond cookies. It was the perfect balance of sweet and salty. The only thing that I didn’t love about it was how it stuck to my teeth which made it kind of hard to eat. That’s why I wanted to create a cookie inspired by that candy that’s a tad easier to eat. These honey sesame cookies taste just like peanut sesame candy without the stickiness. I gave these cookies to multiple people while I was testing the recipe, and they all said it tasted just like it.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Unsalted butter – Adds nuttiness and richness to the cookies. I used browned butter for my dough because it adds the most amazing flavor and color to the cookies.
• All purpose flour – Adds structure to the cookies. Highly recommend spooning the flour into a measuring cup and leveling it off. This ensures the most accurate measurement.
• Baking soda – Baking soda makes the cookies airy and tender.
• Salt – One of the most important ingredients in baking. Adding a touch of salt to any baked good makes it taste so much better.
• Light brown sugar – Adds sweetness to the cookies. Light brown sugar can be substituted with dark brown sugar. It will however make the cookies taste sweeter. This ingredient also helps the cookie spread.
• Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to the cookies.
• Egg – Adds richness to the cookies and helps the ingredients bind together. I highly recommend using room temperature eggs because it’ll be easier to mix the egg and sugar together when they are the same temperature.
• Honey – Use any kind of honey you can find.
• Vanilla extract – Adds more flavor to the cookies. I chose to only 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, so the vanilla flavor does not overpower the honey.
• Sesame seeds – Used to coat the cookies. You can use either black or white sesame seeds. I chose to use white sesame seeds.

How to make honey sesame cookies

First brown the butter. Melt 1/2 cup of unsalted butter in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Once melted, reduce the heat to medium low and let it cook until brown bits stars to appear. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a bowl, combine 1 2/3 cup of all purpose flour, 1 tsp of baking soda, and 1/4 tsp of salt. Mix and set aside. Pour the browned butter into a separate bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 1/2 cup of light brown sugar and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. Mix until combined. Add the egg into the mixture and mix until a light and fluffy texture. The mixture should be a light brown color. Finally, add 1/3 cup of honey and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Mix until combined.

Combine the dry ingredients from step 2 with the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix the cookie dough. Cover and let the dough rest in the fridge for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Prep 2 baking sheets by covering them with parchment paper.

Pour 1/2 cup of sesame seeds into a small bowl. Once the dough has rested, scoop the dough out using a medium cookie scoop (#16 cookie scoop). Roll the dough between your palms into a ball and coat with the sesame seeds. Place the dough 2 inches apart on the prepped baking sheets. Make sure they’re not too close together because these cookies spread a lot. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges start to brown. Let the cookies rest for 5 minutes on a baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Tips on how to make the perfect honey sesame cookies

Use a cookie scoop for the most consistent results

Portioning the dough using a medium cookie scoop (#16 cookie scoop) is the best way to get consistent sizes. Controlling the size also prevents the cookies from spreading into each other while baking.

Make sure your cookies are 2 inches apart

These cookies spread a lot, so it’s important your cookie dough is at least 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. I typically only bake 6 cookies on each baking sheet.

How do you store these honey sesame cookies?

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.

Did you make this dish?

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