Sesame cookies
These sesame cookies are inspired by biscotti regina from Sicily, Italy, where little logs of dough are rolled in white sesame seeds before baking. They're not too sweet, crisp outside, light and tender inside, with a hint of orange zest. The sesame toasts to gold in the oven and fills the kitchen with a nutty aroma, making them perfect with tea or a milky coffee.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Rising or chilling
- 30 min
- Total time
- 1 hr 20 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Milk dip and sesame coating
Instructions
Step 1
Beat 115 g softened unsalted butter with 100 g granulated sugar for about two minutes, then add 50 g eggs, 5 g vanilla extract and 3 g orange zest and beat until well combined. Orange zest is the signature flavor of Sicilian sesame cookies and softens the richness of the butter. The mixture is ready when it's smooth, lightly fluffy and flecked with tiny bits of orange.
Step 2
Sift 250 g all-purpose flour with 6 g baking powder and 2 g salt into the bowl, mix on low speed, then gather it into a ball with your hands. Baking powder keeps the crumb light rather than dense like a regular butter cookie. The dough is ready when it's soft, smooth and no longer sticks to your hands.
Step 3
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about thirty minutes. Cold dough is easier to roll into logs and holds a neat shape in the oven. It's ready when it feels firm in your hand and is no longer soft and sticky.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 180°C while the dough chills and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This temperature lets the sesame turn golden just as the inside of the cookies finishes baking. The oven is ready after about fifteen minutes of preheating.
Step 5
Divide the dough into small pieces, roll each one into a rope about as thick as your thumb and cut it into pieces about six centimeters long. Even sizes help the cookies bake at the same rate and look tidy. You're done shaping when the logs are evenly round with flat ends.
Step 6
Pour 60 g whole milk into a small bowl and spread 100 g white sesame seeds on a plate. Quickly dip each log in the milk, roll it in the sesame and press gently so the seeds stick. The milk moistens the surface so the sesame clings all over and doesn't fall off during baking. You're done when every log is covered in a thick layer of sesame with no dough peeking through.
Step 7
Arrange the logs on the baking sheet three centimeters apart and bake at 180°C for 18 to 22 minutes. A long enough bake toasts the sesame until crisp and dries the inside to a light crumb. The cookies are done when the sesame is evenly golden brown and the bottoms are deep golden.
Step 8
Move the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool for about twenty minutes. As they cool, the sesame crust firms up and the cookies reach their full crunch. They're ready when you snap one in half and see a light, cream-colored crumb inside a crisp sesame shell.
Equipment
- Oven
- Hand mixer
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Sieve
- Kitchen scale
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
- Plastic wrap
- Refrigerator
Tips
- Raw sesame seeds toast evenly in the oven; if you use pre-toasted seeds, lower the heat to 170°C so they don't turn bitter.
- You can swap the orange zest for lemon zest or add a few drops of anise extract for a different flavor.
- Dipping the logs in egg white instead of milk makes the sesame stick even better.
Storage
Once completely cool, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, where they stay crisp for about two weeks. The sesame flavor deepens after a day or two, so you can bake them ahead before guests arrive.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The sesame burns before the inside is baked.
- The oven is too hot or the baking sheet is too high. Move the sheet down to the middle rack, lower the temperature by ten degrees and bake a few minutes longer.
- The cookies spread flat and lose their log shape.
- The dough was still warm or the butter was beaten too fluffy. Chill the sesame-coated logs for another fifteen minutes before they go into the oven.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
