These Black Sesame Sugar Cookies are perfectly chewy, sweet, and have a rich nutty flavor from the ground black sesame seeds in the dough! With just 9 ingredients and 30 minutes of chill time, they are just as easy to make as they are delicious!
Sugar Cookies are kinda my thing. What started as one recipe for Funfetti Sugar Cookies circa 2018 has turned into over 10 unique flavors, including Earl Grey Cookies, Peanut Butter Sugar Cookies, and fruity flavors like Raspberry Sugar Cookies!
These black sesame sugar cookies are the newest to the lineup and, while they may look simple, they are PACKED with deliciously nutty, toasted, earthy black sesame flavor!
What is black sesame?
Black Sesame Seeds are the unhulled seeds from the Sesamum indicum plant. They are similar to the white sesame seeds you are likely more familiar with, but they have an earthier, nuttier, and slightly more bitter taste.
You will find them a lot in Asian recipes, and they pair nicely with flavors such as citrus, dark chocolate, and matcha (like in my Matcha Black Sesame Rolls)!
Ingredients:
Ingredient & substitution notes:
- Black Sesame Seeds: I prefer to buy black sesame seeds and grind them myself for this recipe.
- However, you can also use black sesame powder if you would rather buy it and save some time!
- Vegan Butter: My favorite vegan butter to bake with is Earth Balance, Trader Joe's, or Country Crock Olive Oil Sticks.
- Make sure to use butter "sticks" as the kind in jars tends to contain more moisture and leads to cookies that spread more.
- Flax Egg: For the best texture and color, I highly recommend using golden ground flaxseed.
- Vanilla: I always bake with vanilla bean paste as I love the flavor, but you can swap 1:1 for vanilla extract.
How to make black sesame cookies
Make the sugar cookie dough:
Start by creaming together the vegan butter, sugar, and ground black sesame seeds. Creaming incorporates air into the batter and helps to build structure in these cookies.
We also add the black sesame at this point as the best way to enhance the black sesame flavor is through fat, aka the vegan butter!
After that, mix in the flax egg and vanilla bean paste.
Then, mix in the dry ingredients until a thick, but slightly sticky, dough forms.
Chill the dough:
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
The black sesame dough will be pretty sticky, which is one reason we add it to the fridge to chill. It also helps to prevent it from spreading too much while baking, and ultimately leads to a better-flavored cookie.
Roll the cookie dough in sugar: I decided I wanted to make these cookies a bit larger than my normal sugar cookies, so I used a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop and measured each dough ball between 50 and 55 grams.
Then, take each dough ball and use your palms to form it into a circle. Next, roll each cookie dough ball in a bowl of sugar.
Rolling in sugar gives these cookies the best crackly top and also helps to prevent them from spreading too much!
Bake the cookies:
Add the cookie dough balls to a parchment-lined baking sheet, making sure to keep about 2 inches between each cookie dough ball as they will spread.
Then bake at 350F for 12-14 minutes.
Please note that if you decide to make smaller cookies, the baking time should be reduced by a few minutes.
As soon as the cookies are done, bang/tap the tray of cookies on the counter. This helps to deflate the cookies and give them that wrinkly texture.
Let them cool on a wire rack, then serve & enjoy these chewy black sesame seed cookies!
FAQ & Tips:
Can I make these sugar cookies gluten-free?
I haven't tested it myself, but I've heard from readers that Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking flours work with my cookie recipes. Just know it will affect the overall look and texture of the final cookie.
Cookie Troubleshooting: Why are my cookies not chewy?
With sugar cookies, even 1 tablespoon of flour can make a difference in the result. That is why I ALWAYS recommend weighing flour with a scale for cookie recipes. The main reason cookies get too "fluffy" and not chewy is that there is too much flour in the dough.
The other reason? Simply baking your cookies for too long! Make sure to take them out just when they are done for the chewiest texture.
How do I store vegan black sesame cookies?
Baked cookies can be stored in a container or plastic bag at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for 3-4 days, and in the freezer for up to 1 month.
You can also store cookie dough balls in a freezer-safe zip-loc bag in the freezer for about 3 weeks. Just know you may need to add 2-3 minutes of baking time to cookies if baking from frozen.
I hope you love these soft, chewy, nutty, & perfectly sweet Black Sesame Sugar Cookies. With just 9 ingredients, they truly are so easy to make. Enjoy!
-TSG
More unique vegan cookie recipes you will love:
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Black Sesame Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ½ cup+ 2 Tablespoons sugar ½ cup for dough, 2 tablespoon for rolling before baking
- 2 Tablespoons ground black sesame seeds
- 1 flax egg 1 tablespoon (8 grams) ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoon water, left to sit 5 minutes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 cup+ 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the cookie dough:
- First, grind the black sesame seeds until they are in a powdered but not paste form.
- Then, add the butter, ½ cup of the sugar, and the ground black sesame seeds to a bowl and cream together until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add in the flax egg and vanilla bean paste and mix together about 10 more seconds.
- Next, add the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the mixing bowl. Mix JUST until a smooth and thick cookie batter forms and no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix or too much gluten will form and the cookies will not spread as much.
- Next, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, add to the fridge, and let chill for 30 minutes- 1 hour.
Roll cookies in sugar & bake:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350F. Next, remove the dough from the fridge and use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to form your cookie dough (about 50 grams of dough per cookie).
- Roll the cookie dough into balls between your palms and then roll each in the 2 tablespoon of sugar that was set aside so that each dough ball is coated in sugar.
- Place the black sesame cookie dough balls onto the baking sheet. Make sure that each cookie is kept about 2 inches apart since they will spread slightly while baking.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until the cookie bottoms are lightly browned and the cookies are cooked through but still have soft centers. The cookies will continue baking after they are removed from the oven so the centers should be soft and slightly under-cooked, but not glossy or raw, when they are removed from the oven.
- Remove the cookie tray from the oven and immediately tap the tray on the counter to produce a more “wrinkly” cookie. You can also swirl the cookies between a mug or use a spoon to shape them into perfect circles.
- Then, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Once the black sesame cookies have cooled, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Please see the blog post for recipe tips & substitution ideas.
- Baked cookies can be stored in a container or plastic bag at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for 3-4 days, and in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- You can also store cookie dough balls in a freezer-safe zip-loc bag in the freezer for about 3 weeks. Just know you may need to add 2-3 minutes of baking time to cookies if baking from frozen.
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