Black Sesame Shortbread Cookies
Celebrate Chinese New Year with these toasty buttery cookies. The distinct flavor of roasted black sesame seeds and rich-buttery shortbread make these cookies absolutely sensational! #SweetLunarNewYear
In the Chinese culture, we believe that sweet treats symbolize a sweet life. Therefore, no New Year’s celebration would be complete without dessert. As a kid, I remember Chinese New Year as a time with family, lots of food, and red envelopes with lucky money. As an adult, Chinese New Year is another fresh start. It’s a time to reminisce and really think about my goals for health and happiness for my family.
I just adore the simplicity of this recipe. It’s just butter, sugar, salt, flour and sesame seeds. Mix it all together, roll it out, and bake. No fuss, no drama, kind of like the way a new year should start.
These cookies are thin, crispy and have a crumbly texture that melts in your mouth. The taste is buttery and perfectly sweet with a lovely nutty aroma.
Join me and 26 other amazing bloggers in bringing in the Lunar New Year with these fabulous sweet desserts. #SweetLunarNewYear Link Party:
Snow Fungus Soup by Vermilion Roots
Indonesian Honeycomb Cake (Bingka Ambon) by What To Cook Today
Chinese Peanut Cookies by Wok & Skillet
Vietnamese Steamed Rice Cakes by A Taste of Joy and Love
Gluten-Free Chinese Almond Cookies by Grits & Chopsticks
Ice Cream Mooncakes by Brunch-n-Bites
Coconut Red Bean Pudding by The Missing Lokness
Korean Caramelized Sweet Potatoes (Goguma Mattang) by What Great Grandma Ate
Cashew Nut Cookies by Anncoo Journal
One Bite Pine Nut Cookies by Yummy Workshop
Baked Coconut Walnut Sticky Rice Cake by Jeanette’s Healthy Living
Black Sesame Cream Puffs by Pink Wings
Cashew Nut Cookies by Roti n Rice
Mini Peanut Puffs (Kok Chai) by Malaysian Chinese Kitchen
Thousand Layer Cake (Lapis Legit) by Daily Cooking Quest
Pineapple Cookies (Nastar) by V for Veggy
Almond Orange Spiral Cookies by Butter & Type
Three Color Dessert (Che Ba Mau) by The Viet Vegan
Year of the Rooster Mochi by Thirsty for Tea
Korean Tea Cookies (Dasik) by Kimchimari
Sweet Sticky Nian Gao (Kuih Bakul) by Lisa’s Lemony Kitchen
Sweet Rice Balls with Peanut Butter (Tang Yuan) by Omnivore’s Cookbook
Candied Ginger (Mut Gung) by Plant Crush
Chick Egg Tarts by Dessert Girl
Red Bean Soup with Black Glutinous Rice by Nut Free Wok
Orange Scented Sweet Red Bean by Lime and Cilantro
I wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
Print
Black Sesame Shortbread Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen
Description
The distinct flavor of roasted black sesame seeds and rich-buttery shortbread make these cookies absolutely sensational!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (40g) roasted black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick baking mat.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and salt.
- Add in the flour and continue to mix until the dough just starts to form. Mix in the sesame seeds until combined.
- Dust your rolling pin and countertop with powdered sugar. Roll out the dough to about 1/2cm thick. Use a 3cm round cookie cutter to cut out the cookies and place a dozen cookies on each baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.
- Category: dessert, snack
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American, Chinese
Keywords: black sesame shortbread cookie recipe, black sesame cookies, easy shortbread cookies
Recipe adapted from The Comfort of Cooking.
28 Comments on “Black Sesame Shortbread Cookies”
I got black sesame cookies in a subscription box a few months ago and loved them. Tried this easy recipe and was so pleased when they came out just exactly right. I’m softening butter right now for another batch.
★★★★★
I’m thrilled you like it so much that you are making another batch already! Thank you so much for your lovely review:)
Can you store them in the refrigerator, and for how long?
These cookies keep well. You can store them in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy and have a great day!
Can this be made with toasted white sesame seeds? It’s all I have in my pantry and I’m dying to try this recipe! I’m wondering if the taste will be too mild?
As long as it’s toasted it should be fine. Let me know what you think of the cookies when you make it:)
Can we use raw black sesame seeds for this recipe? It’s all I can find!
You can, but roasted is much more flavorful. I recommend roasting the sesame seeds yourself. It’s really easy and fresher when you toast it at home. Here’s how:
https://www.acouplecooks.com/how-to-toast-sesame-seeds/
I hope that helps!
this is really good thanks for the recipe
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it:)
I baked these earlier and they go perfectly with tea! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Happy new year! I love your recipe, it looks like it would be easy to make and delicious, so perfect!!
They look delicious. I’m going to try to make it
I hope you enjoy them and nice to meet you:)
Happy New Year Lily! I love adding sesame topping to my dessert. These cookies are so simple to make, might have to give it a try since I have everything in my pantry 🙂 Thanks for a wonderful recipe!!
These are beautiful and simple too! I see these in the Asian fusion bakery by the grocery store and they seem quite popular 🙂 Happy New Year!
Happy Chinese New Year to you as well and nice to meet you!
These are beautiful cookies just perfect for the Chinese New Year!
Buttery and sesame seeds… beautiful combination.
Happy Chinese New Year.
I’m always a huge fan of nutty sesame desserts. These look so crispy and buttery. What a great snack to munch on during CNY! Happy New Year! 😀
Lovely cookies and happy new year! I love the feeling a fresh start and these cookies look like a great way to celebrate the new year.
These look so yummy! Happy new year!
I love black sesame seeds and this recipe is so easy! Happy New Year!
Lily, gong xi fa cai! I love anything with sesame seeds, black or otherwise, so this is just right up my alley 🙂
these sound delicious! i love shortbread, but it sounds even better with the addition of crunchy, toasty, nutty sesame seeds (:
Thanks Heather and nice to meet you. Happy Chinese New Year!
So simple yet so good. What a great cookie recipe to add to the sweet collection. Happy year of the rooster!
Yummmm!! I can imagine that nuttiness from the black sesame and buttery taste. Perfect combination.