I recently went on a 2-day bender with a bag of Trader Joe’s honey-roasted sesame almonds. I had never tried them and I naïvely picked them up at the store. I couldn’t stop eating them. I even had them for dinner one night. These sesame honey cookies are inspired by the grip this sweet and savory snack has on me.
I love how the honey makes the cookies so chewy and keeps them soft for days. The sesame seeds lend a great nutty flavor to balance out the extra sweetness, plus a nice additional texture. For these, I use the pan-banging method from Sarah Kieffer, which gives them ripples and crinkles, and also helps to keep the inside chewy and the edges crisp.
Did you make these sesame honey cookies? I want to see! Tag me @easygayoven on Instagram and TikTok!
Sesame Honey Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (113 grams)
- 1/3 cup honey (113.3 grams)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed (95 grams)
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar 110 grams
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour measured using the scoop-and-sweep method (195 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (52 grams) (around 2 ounces)
Instructions
- If your sesame seeds aren’t toasted already, add them to a skillet and cook on medium low heat, just until most of the seeds develop a golden brown color. Transfer to a plate or other flat surface to cool, then cover and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Gently melt butter in a small saucepan on low heat. Add the honey and mix until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars with the honey and butter until homogenous.
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
- Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients just until the last streaks of flour disappear. Cover and chill in the fridge until firm, about 3-4 hours or overnight.
- Dole out around 12 balls of dough, about 2 tablespoons each. I like to use a cookie scoop for this.
- Add the sesame seeds to a small bowl. Roll each dough ball in the seeds making sure to cover the bottoms, too.
- Chill the dough balls in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 350°F. This will help them keep their shape and not spread too much.
- Line 2 half-sheet trays with parchment paper and place 6 dough balls on each, leaving about 2 inches between each.
- Bake the cookies for 7 minutes, then rotate the trays and swap their rack placements to promote even baking. Giving them a firm *thwap* against the counter at this stage deflates them and gives them a crisp outside and chewy middle.
- Bake for 6-7 more minutes, or until the edges are deep golden brown and the centers are still slightly pale.
- Remove the trays from the oven and bang them on the counter again to deflate them one last time. Let the cookies set up for about 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
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The first recipe I saw that made me stop and peruse your website. Everyone in my family loves the ginger molasses cookies, but THESE are my favorites. The quality is probably changed by the honey, I use our favorite from a local beekeeper so if you’re reading comments dear reader, try to get a good honey. But I can’t keep these in my house. The smell is so toasty and comforting. Again, I’m a bad baker – but you make it simple to create these really lovely flavor profiles and then people think I’m cool.
It sounds like you’re an amazing baker! Thank you for trying them.
When I say that these are some of the best cookies that I have ever had, I am not joking. They’re chewy and addictive and so so pretty. Flawless.
In the words of a modern day prophet, Lady Gaga, “Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it.
Wow you certainly have a way with words. Thank you!
So chewy and delicious! Love the balance of nutty sesame and honey!
Thank you for trying them, Scott!
—Eric
Sooo good and easy to make. Total pantry recipe and no special equipment needed!! Run don’t walk to your kitchen to make these.
Thank you for this great review Elizabeth! I’m so glad you loved them.
—Eric
Would almond extract give the almond element of the honey sesame almonds your replicating or would that overpower the cookie? Maybe 1/8-1/4tsp? Or add in chopped almonds? Roll in slivered almonds?
So excited to try these for my family! They will probably be wary because they aren’t adventurous/will question the sesame seeds but I can see them becoming TOTALLY addicted once I force these on them. Ha!
Hi! I never thought about adding almond extract but I think it would be interesting! Always starting with less than you thinnk you need is a good idea since it’s so strong. As far as rolling the cookies in almonds, or mixing almonds in, I’m not sure because it could affect their spread which is really important for this particular recipe. I’m all for experimenting though! Happy baking.
—Eric
These were so tasty and easy to make! I love how unique this cookie is and the texture is perfect!
I’m so glad you loved them — thanks for leaving such a nice review. —Eric
I love these!! I made these today after recently finding a recipe. I needed something to bake as a thank you gift, and these fit the bill perfectly. Chewy, nutty from the toasted sesame seeds, and contain the perfect amount of sweetness. I’m posted out here in Nigeria for work and wanted to bake a thank you, but maybe cultures out here don’t enjoy overly sweet desserts. These were a hit. I’ll be making them for the office tomorrow!!
Thank you for trying these and for your thoughtful review! I’m so glad you loved them.
—Eric
perfectly chewy
so glad you liked them!
—Eric
I’m curious how you roll these? The dough is so runny and sticky that it doesn’t hold a shape. I double-checked my measurements and even tried adding a couple more tablespoons of flour.
Oops. Never mind. I haven’t chilled the dough yet!
I’m glad you figured it out! Thanks for trying the recipe. Happy baking! —Eric