White Chocolate and Black Sesame Cookies
These are cookies of contrast – the earthy, bitter black sesame seeds are brought together with creamy, sweet white chocolate, creating a beautiful blend of taste and texture that we find irresistible.
MAKES 15 COOKIES
160g unsalted butter
40g caster sugar
130g soft light brown sugar
1 medium egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
40g glucose syrup (or golden syrup if you don’t have any to hand)
250g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp fine salt
30g cornflour
100g white chocolate chips or a bar cut into 1cm chunks (Milky Bar Buttons are particularly good in this recipe)
15g black sesame seeds
Melt the butter in the microwave (or in a small saucepan over a low heat) until liquid but not hot and spitting.
Using an electric mixer or whisk, mix the melted butter, caster sugar and brown sugar on a medium speed until they’re well combined and the butter no longer separates. It should look rather like a thick caramel.
Add the egg, vanilla and glucose syrup (or golden syrup, if using) and beat until thoroughly mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
In a small, separate bowl, weigh out the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cornflour, then sift this over the egg mixture.
On a slower speed, mix the flour into the batter until it resembles a soft dough and there are no pockets of flour remaining. Tip in 80g of the white chocolate chips and stir gently into the dough. Don’t over-mix once the chocolate chips are added or you’ll get a tough cookie!
Tip the black sesame seeds into a small bowl or saucer and line a couple of large baking trays with baking paper.
Use a dessertspoon to scoop out chunks of cookie dough from the bowl, weigh them at about 50g each, and roll gently into balls between your hands. Lightly dip the top of each ball into the black sesame seeds and place, sesame-side up, on the lined baking trays, spacing them about 5cm apart. Stick 2–3 of the remaining white chocolate chips on the top of each ball. Place the trays of cookie balls in the fridge to chill for 20–30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas Mark 4.
Bake for 8–10 minutes until the cookies have spread out and are golden around the edges but still slightly pale in the middle. Avoid the temptation to bake them until deep golden brown all over – they might look under-cooked in the middle, but will give you a gloriously chewy centre once they have cooled.
Leave the cookies to cool on the trays for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
TIP
These cookies also bake perfectly, if not better, from frozen. This allows you to make a large batch in advance and bake them as and when you need (or bake a single cookie on one of those days, when an oven-warm cookie is the only cure). We recommend rolling them into balls and freezing in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When required, preheat the oven, pop them on a lined baking tray and bake for 10–12 minutes.
