Black-Sesame White Chocolate Cookies
From 108 Asian Cookies by Kat Lieu
Ingredients
1/2 cup | 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (120 g) unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (120 g) packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups (160 g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (45 g) toasted black sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup (60 g) black sesame paste
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Japanese whisky
or maple syrup
1 teaspoon red miso
6 ounces (170 g) high-quality white chocolate, chopped, plus more for topping the cookies
Sea salt flakes, for garnish
- To make the brown butter, cook the butter in a heavy sauce pan or pot over medium heat while whisking continuously, until the butter foams, the foam subsides, the butter is golden, and brown (not black) bits form on the bottom, at least 5 minutes. You’re looking for a nutty aroma and not a burnt smell. Transfer the butter to a heatproof mixing bowl. Add the sugars and mix until dissolved. Set aside to cool. A few minutes in the freezer will hasten cooling.
- Whisk the flour, black sesame seeds, baking soda, and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Add the black sesame paste, egg, Japanese whisky or maple syrup, and miso to the cooled brown butter and mix with a whisk or hand mixer until fully incorporated, paler in color, and thickened. (You can also use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.) Add the flour mixture and mix until homogenous. Fold in the white chocolate. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes to overnight.
- About 25 minutes before baking, adjust two racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the dough and roll into a smooth ball. Repeat to make 12 to 15 balls, placing them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press a chunk or two of white chocolate onto the top of each dough ball.
- Bake all the cookies, switching the sheets between top and bottom racks and rotating front to back once halfway through, until the edges and bottoms are golden brown, about15 minutes. The cookies are meant to be set with gooey middles.
- Sprinkle the cookies with sea salt flakes. Allow the cookies to set on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Variations
Try rolling the cookie dough balls in a mixture of black sesame seeds and granulated sugar before baking. This will add a crunchy exterior and an extra burst of black sesame flavor to each cookie.Substitute tahini for the black sesame paste and white sesame seeds for the black. Or use dark or semisweet chocolate instead of white chocolate.
Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Growing up as a Canadian-born Vietnamese Chinese American, Kat Lieu sought comfort in the flavors of her youth like taro and black sesame. But she struggled to find a home for herself as a third-culture baker in American bakeries, online, or in cookbooks. In the auspiciously titled 108 Asian Cookies Lieu honors the varied and rich tapestry of Asian cultures and ingredients that inspired these recipes. And along with members from Subtle Asian Baking, the online baking group she founded, are a diverse array of original and member-submitted drool-worthy recipes for cookies and bakes incorporating ingredients from the diaspora including gochujang, ube, miso, fish sauce, sambal, tahini, matcha, and MSG stirred into each batter and dough.
Bakers will learn how to whip up both classics and entirely new desserts such as:
- Spicy chai cookies
- Amaretti cookies with pandan and pistachios
- Taiwanese snowflake crisps
- Milk and cashew burfi
- Salted egg yolk corn flake haystacks
- Mochi brownies
- Matcha and wasabi drop cookies
- And even instant ramen and pho cookies!
At many Asian tables, “not too sweet” is the highest compliment one can give—so whether these recipes are comfortingly familiar or new discoveries, 108 Asian Cookies will be sure to delight even the most discerning “not too sweet” kitchens for years to come.