I love these cookies so much that I’d consider picking them over a chocolate chip cookie, which has long been my favorite dessert of all time. Strawberry Black Sesame Cookies are soft and chewy, with swirls of black sesame paste, tart strawberry, and a crunchy toasted sesame bottom.
When I first made black sesame swirl cookies, I was completely obsessed with the flavor. But this recipe takes them to the next level! This is the perfect summery twist on regular black sesame cookies (which are a reader favorite, by the way!).
Recipe breakdown:
- Strawberry & black sesame deliciousness. Swirled strawberry cookie dough mixed with homemade black sesame paste. Maybe the best flavor pairing that’s ever existed.
- Soft & chewy texture. These cookies are thick and fluffy, with chewy edges and soft middles.
- Quick & easy. Even if you make the black sesame paste from scratch, you can still whip up the cookie dough in about 15 minutes. No dough chilling required, either!
Just in case you’re unfamiliar with black sesame, the flavor is somewhat similar to a toasted nut butter. It’s a little savory and umami, but the honey in the black sesame paste brings some sweetness to it as well. Overall, these cookies have a bit of a peanut-butter-and-jelly vibe, just a little more grown up.
How to make strawberry black sesame cookies
Essentially, there are two parts to this cookie: The homemade black sesame paste and the strawberry swirl cookie dough. You could also opt to use a store bought sesame paste (sometimes called black tahini) to save a step, but I always recommend going homemade!
Make the black sesame paste. Toast black sesame seeds in a dry skillet for a few minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Transfer the seeds immediately to a small food processor or spice grinder and blend until fairly broken down, 1-2 minutes.
With the motor running, drizzle in the sesame oil and honey. Take the lid off, scrape the sides of the food processor, and continue blending. Add the water. It may take a couple of minutes for the seeds to break down and form a paste. Once everything is well blended, scrape the black sesame paste out of the machine and set aside.
Make the strawberry cookie dough. Follow the same basic cookie dough steps here – cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla, fold in the dry ingredients. Then grind up some strawberry powder.
To make the strawberry powder, you could add the freeze dried strawberries to a food processor or spice grinder. However, I found it super simple to crush them by placing them in a sealed bag and running a rolling pin over them a few times. This seriously takes about ten seconds. I like to leave the powder uneven, so a little bit of mixed sized strawberry chunks is just fine.
Swirling the strawberry black sesame cookies. To create the swirl, place about ⅓ of the cookie dough into a separate bowl. Dot little bits of sesame paste onto this dough and swirl it together lightly.
Fold the rest of the dough with the strawberry powder until mostly combined.
Then, dot the strawberry dough with about half of the black sesame swirl cookie dough. Fold it together once or twice.
Dot the remaining sesame dough on top and fold in again, swirling the two doughs together lightly. You don’t want to mix them too much, in order to keep a nice swirl look.
Now the cookie dough is ready to go. Use a small spring-loaded scoop to make cookie dough balls, then dip the bottoms of the cookies in black sesame seeds. Place cookies on a baking sheet, about two inches apart, and flatten them slightly with a measuring cup or the palm of your hand.
Bake until centers bounce back and edges are lightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes and then dig in!
Strawberry Black Sesame Cookies
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
Black Sesame Paste
- ¼ cup roasted black sesame seeds
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons warm water
Cookie Dough
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, soft
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla
Swirl
- 2 tablespoons black sesame paste
- 1 cup freeze dried strawberries
- About ¼ cup black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
For the sesame paste:
- Toast black sesame seeds in a dry skillet on low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Pour sesame seeds into a small food processor or spice grinder and blend until well broken down, 3-5 minutes. Stop machine and scrape down sides as needed.
- With motor running, add honey, sesame oil, and water. Continue to blend until mixture forms a fine paste, stopping to scrape the sides every once in a while. It may take a few minutes to get it to a nice texture; be patient and keep processing until the mixture is fairly smooth (some chunks are fine).
For the cookie dough:
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cream butter and sugar until soft and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined.
- Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
For the strawberry powder:
- Crush strawberries into a powder using a food processor or spice grinder. Alternatively, you could place the strawberries in a sealed bag and run a rolling pin over them a few times. I like a slightly uneven texture here, with a few larger strawberry chunks left behind.
To swirl the batter:
- Place about ⅓ of the cookie dough into a separate bowl. Dot little bits of sesame paste onto this dough and swirl it together lightly.
- Fold the remaining ⅔ of the dough with the strawberry powder until mostly combined.
- Dot the strawberry dough with about half of the black sesame swirl cookie dough. Fold it together once or twice. Dot the remaining sesame dough on top and fold in again, swirling the two doughs together very lightly. For the best swirl, don't mix them too much!
- Use a small spring-loaded scoop to make cookie dough balls. Dip bottoms of each cookie in black sesame seeds. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, about two inches apart, and flatten them slightly with a measuring cup or the palm of your hand.
- Bake until edges are lightly golden and centers are baked through, about 11-13 minutes.
Notes
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
