Raspberry Black Sesame Bars

I saw this post on another blogger’s Instagram, and I was inspired to create my own version. These raspberry black sesame bars have a black sesame shortbread cookie as its base topped with raspberry jam and coated with dark chocolate. I have to say my favorite part of these bars is the raspberry chocolate combo. The contrasting flavors go together SO WELL it even surprised me. Despite how great this combo is, I think the best dishes are made when you can make it the way YOU want to. So in the recipe below I tried to give you options on how you can customize them for yourself. Use different jams! Make them bigger or smaller! Or maybe don’t use chocolate! The best part of these bars is making it the way you want them.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Black sesame seeds – Black sesame seeds adds the color and taste to the cookie. Use either black sesame seeds that are broken down or black sesame powder.
• Unsalted butter – Adds richness to the bars and a yummy nutty flavor. I would highly recommend using unsalted butter, so you can control the amount of salt in your bars.
• Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar is finely ground up sugar mixed with a little bit of corn starch. It adds sweetness to the bars.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the bars. Substitute with 1 vanilla bean or an equal amount of vanilla paste. I prefer using vanilla paste because it has more flavor than vanilla extract.
• Salt for seasoning
• Egg – The egg helps bind all the ingredients together and gives the bar more structure. Without eggs, the bar tends to be more crumbly.
• All purpose flour – This is the main dry ingredient.
• Raspberry jam – For the top layer for the bar. Use any kind of raspberry jam you can find or make your own!
• Dark chocolate chips – Used to coat the bars. I’ve tried these bars with and without this coating, and both taste great. So if you don’t have chocolate chips, don’t sweat it. The bars taste just as good without it. You can also substitute with any other form of chocolate.
• Coconut oil – The smooth sheen you see on typically candy bars is made using tempered chocolate. However, I think tempered chocolate can be well temperamental, so one hack I learned from Claire Saffitz is to add a little bit of coconut oil. It has a similar effect on the chocolate and makes it easier to coat the bars.

Making my raspberry black sesame bars

First make the cookie base! Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Prep a 8×8 cake pan by greasing and lining it with parchment paper. Set aside. Toast the black sesame seeds over medium heat for 20-30 seconds until smoke starts coming off from them. Pour black sesame seeds into a food processor or spice grinder. I would highly recommend using a spice grinder for the finest consistency. Pulse until the black sesame seeds are super fine. Add black sesame seeds to a food processor (if you didn’t use a food processor for the last step). Follow that with butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt, egg, and all purpose flour. Pulse until a soft dough forms. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepped cake pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the edges start to brown. Cool completely (20-30 minutes).

Next for the raspberry layer! Once the black sesame cookie is cool, spread an even layer of jam on top. Let it set in the fridge for 10 minutes. Take the bars out from the fridge and cut into 16 equal pieces. You can go smaller or larger depending on your preference.

Lastly, for the chocolate coating. Combine chocolate and coconut oil in a bowl. Microwave in 10 second increments until the chocolate is fully melted. Stir between each time interval. Drop 1-2 teaspoons of the melted chocolate on the parchment paper. Place the bar on top to coat the bottom. Repeat this process with all the bars. Then coat each bar with the rest of the melted chocolate. Put the bars in the fridge, so the chocolate can set (~30 minutes). Once set, shave off excess chocolate from the sides using a knife. Serve and enjoy!

Tips on how to make the perfect raspberry black sesame bars

Coating the bars

I found this the most difficult part of this process. The biggest issue I had in testing was that the chocolate would stick to whatever surface I used. The best surface I found is parchment paper. The chocolate easily releases from the surface, and it’s easy to shave off any excess chocolate.

Cutting the bars into the right size

I cut these bars into various sizes to see which one I preferred. Personally I think cutting the bars into 16 equal pieces is the perfect size. They almost look like petit fours, and so cute! I also found the big bars to be overwhelming to eat. It’s ultimately up to you how big or small you want them. This recipe works for any size you choose.

Use different types of jam

I used raspberry jam because I love the taste of raspberries and dark chocolate. However, I think this recipe works with any type of jam. Others I recommend are blueberry, cherry, and strawberry.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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