Chewy Brown Sugar Toasted Sesame Cookies

While my Pan-banging Chocolate Chip Cookies are the most-made cookies on this site (thank you!), quite a number of you also love two others: Sesame Chocolate Chip Pan-banging Cookies, and Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies. I also love making both of those cookies, and thought it might be a good idea to combine their flavor profiles. So I took the dark brown sugar from the sugar cookies and the toasted sesame oil and seeds from the pan-banging cookies, and rolled them into a new version of my Chocolate Chip Cookies 2.0.

These cookies have crisp edges and a gooey, chewy center. The caramel-y notes from the dark brown sugar and toasted sesame oil are delicious together, and the sesame seeds add the right amount of crunch. I did leave out the chocolate here, finding that the flavor was perfect without it. They are just right for an after school treat, or tucked away in a holiday cookie gift box.

Using Toasted Sesame Oil in Baking

I love an entire tablespoon of toasted sesame oil in my cookies, but if you haven’t baked with it before you may want to start with a smaller amount and gradually add more; some people find the oil overpowering. The nutty oil is sweetened by the brown sugar in the cookie, and I roll the dough in sesame seeds (you can use white, black, or a mix) for a bit of crunch, and even more toasty, nutty flavor. 

Can the cookie dough be frozen?

This cookie dough can be formed into balls and frozen for up to 2 weeks; let the cookies sit out at room temperature until the oven preheats. The cookies will need an extra minute if baked frozen. Also, cookie dough can be formed and refrigerated overnight, then baked the next day; the cookies may need an extra minute if chilled.

Why I Use an Oven Thermometer:

If your cookies don’t turn out like you were hoping, there is a good chance it could be related to your oven temperature. Most of the time, an oven’s temperature will read different than what it actually is inside. That’s why I use an oven thermometer, so I can assess if my oven bakes hot or cool. Sometimes it can be off by 15 to 20 degrees F. Oven thermometers are an inexpensive way to bake more accurately.

More Cookie Recipes:

• Soft and Chewy M&M Cookies
• Perfectly Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
• Brown Butter Brownie Cookies

Chewy Brown Sugar Toasted Sesame Cookies

Servings: 18 cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

These delicious cookies have crisp edges and a gooey, chewy center with caramel-y notes from the dark brown sugar and a touch of nutty, toasted sesame oil. Rolling them in sesame seeds also adds a lovely crunch. Easy to make, no chilling time required!

Sarah Kieffer

4.83 from 17 votes

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Ingredients

• 2 cups [284 g] all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 9 tablespoons [126 g] unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup [200 g] dark brown sugar
• ½ cup [100 g] granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil see note*
• ½ cup sesame seeds black, white, or a combination, for rolling
• Flaky salt for sprinkling, if desired

Equipment

• Half Sheet Pan
• Size 24 Cookie Scoop

Instructions

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400F [200C]. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the dark brown and granulated sugars and salt and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, yolk, vanilla, and sesame oil and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to give the dough a final mix and make sure it is completely combined.
• Form the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each [50 g], and roll into the sesame seeds, covering the whole ball of dough. Place 8 cookies on each sheet pan. Sprinkle each cookie with a little flaky salt, if desired.
• Bake one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake the cookies until the tops are golden brown and the cookies are slightly puffed and starting to crinkle, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use the back of a spatula to gently press the top of each cookie to flatten it. Let the cookies rest on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
• Cookies are best slightly warm but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Cookies will soften the longer they sit. Cookie dough can be formed and refrigerated overnight, then baked the next day; the cookies may need an extra minute if chilled. Cookie dough can also be formed into balls and frozen for up to 2 weeks; let the cookies sit out at room temperature until the oven preheats. The cookies will need an extra minute if baked frozen.

Notes

• I love an entire tablespoon of toasted sesame oil in my cookies, but if you haven’t baked with it before you may want to start with a smaller amount and gradually add more; some people find the oil overpowering.

 

• Light brown sugar will work here if you do not have dark brown sugar, however, the cookies will turn out different. Dark brown sugar has more molasses in it, which gives a deeper flavor (think caramel undertones) to the cookies. It will also give the cookies a darker color.

 

• I have not had trouble with the bottoms browning too much, but a few people have. Something to note: using an oven thermometer to check the temperature of your oven can be helpful; many ovens are off by up to 25 degrees (mine included). If your oven runs hot, you can bake a single cookie first to see how it turns out. If the bottom is too dark for your liking, you can stack two sheet pans on top of each other and bake the cookies on them to slow down browning.

 

• I prefer to sprinkle the flaky salt on the tops of the cookies before baking vs after – I think that it helps bring out more flavor without tasting overwhelmingly salty. 

 

• Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142g. Please note that 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 120g to 142g, depending on the baker or website. I found that after weighting many cups of flour and averaging the total, mine always ended up around this number. If I am posting a recipe from another cookbook, I will use whatever gram measure of flour used in that book, which is why you may see a few posts with a different cup measurement. Different brands of flour have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high, which can result in very different outcomes when baking. I’ve found Gold Medal all-purpose unbleached flour to be the best option for many of my recipes; I use it in all the baked goods that don’t use yeast. For yeasted doughs that call for all-purpose flour, I like to use King Arthur Brand. If you are using White Lily flour, please note that it is a low protein flour and doesn’t absorb liquid the same as regular all-purpose flours. Check the back of the flour bag for instructions on substituting it for regular all-purpose flours.