HoTM: Chocolate Sesame Cookies

No sooner do I think I have my blogging under control than I go off on a cooking frenzy and the backlog builds up again. So long as I am reading other food blogs, I can’t help but be inspired. However, some recipes take longer than others to be produced in my kitchen. Last week I finally made Cassie’s Chocolate Sesame Cookies from Vegan Meal Plans to take to a friend’s place. 


They were packed with some good foods such as molasses and tahini and seemed more healthy than my recent Maple Walnut Choc Chip Cookies. The recipe is also appropriate for those on a vegan or nutfree diet. I have often thought sesame seeds are a good alternative for those with nut allergies but I was surprised (and saddened) to hear recently from a friend that her son is not only allergic to nuts but also to sesame seeds. So these wont suit everyone.


Those who can eat them will love them. They have the richness of tahini rather than the lightness of butter and have an subtle but interesting mix of spices. Their texture is dense and chewy with a slightly crisp edge. Sylvia was grizzling when I made these so they had to be quick. I put her with me in the kitchen in her high chair and threw everything in the bowl and dropped spoonfuls on a baking sheet to put it in the oven. I have no better proof that they are easy peasy.

Black sesame seeds are still a novelty for me. I found them in a local Indian grocery. They always look spectacularly dark and pretty in a goth sort of way because of the contrast they bring to any meal. This was the first time I have used them in cookies and I found them pleasing in texture and presentation. In fact, they reminded me a little of dead ants on these cookies, in case you are looking for ghoulish ideas for Halloween.


Even if you can’t find black sesame seeds, it is worth trying these with white sesame seeds. They are deliciously easy and you can feel a little virtuous about eating cookies.

I am sending these cookies to Ilva and Michelle for Heart of the Matter, an event that focuses on healthy eating. This month the theme is Seeds and Things. 

More chocolate tahini treats from Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Chocolate and black tahini cut out biscuits (v)
Chocolate macaroons (gf) 
Chocolate tahini maca bliss balls (gf, v) 
Chocolate sesame sandwich cookies
Chocolate tahini cookies (v)

Chocolate Sesame Cookies
Adapted from Veggie Meal Plans
Makes about 24 cookies

• ⅔ cup (75g) plain flour
• ⅓ cup tightly packed (75g) brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon cornflour (corn starch)
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• a small pinch of cayenne
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons soy milk
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 50g dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 190 C or 375 F. Grease or line baking trays. Mix all ingredients together. Drop teaspoonfuls on trays with a little room in between for spreading – about 1-2 inches. Use fingers to shape into round blobs if you want them to look uniform. It might even help to flatten them slightly. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool on trays for 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool.

On the Stereo:
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