Black Sesame Shortbread Cookies

I had been wondering for some time what to do with some black sesame I still had leftover from making black sesame soup. I had already made black sesame soup twice and still had about 2-3 cups' worth of black sesame seeds. Some time ago, I read a blog where the author made black sesame cookies, so that gave me the idea of adding black sesame to a good but plain cookie recipe.. and well, since I like good shortbread..

Crisp but flaky, this rich, buttery shortbread cookie melts in your mouth, and the black sesame adds a little crunch to your bite! Very, very delicious and quite easy to make! I will definitely make this again. The butter is the star of the show, so make sure to use real butter. Here I use Lurpak unsalted butter. Recipe is adapted from the Scottish shortbread recipe from 'Joy of Cooking' by Irma S. Rombauer, et al. I really love these cookies. I have to stop myself from getting another cookie after the first one.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour

2 tablespoons black sesame seeds (no need to pre-toast)

some cake flour for kneading

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 F.

1. Beat butter, powdered sugar, sugar and salt on medium speed until very fluffy and well blended.
2. Add 1 cup of all purpose flour, carefully stir the flour in the batter by hand, taking care not to stir too much. It doesn't matter if it's not all incorporated.
3. Add the cake flour and black sesame and stir again until blended.
4. Lightly dust kneading surface with a little cake flour, just enough to keep the dough from sticking. Turn the dough out onto kneading surface. Knead gently, as little as possible, just until it's possible to roll the dough.
5. With a rolling pin, roll the dough about 1/4 inch thick.
6. With a cookie cutter, cut the dough into desired shapes.
7. Place cookies in cookie sheet, preferably lined with aluminum foil to prevent sticking & easier cleanup.
8. Bake cookies for 45-50 minutes.
9. Let cool and enjoy!

Black Sesame Soup

I made some black sesame soup the other day. It is a dessert I have always looked forward to when dining at some Ongpin restaurants, and lately is harder to come by. It is said to be good for black hair. I was just trying to use up the remaining black sesame I bought from Killion's. In any case, the warm soup is a good snack and can also be served as a dessert soup. Just the right thing for these cold January days!

Black Sesame Soup

1/4 cup black sesame seeds
1/4 cup uncooked rice
rock sugar to taste (I used about 3 medium-sized chunks)
water

1. Boil some water, about 1 1/2 cups.
2. Toast black sesame seeds in a pan until fragrant. Take care not to burn them.
3. Put the rice in a blender, pour in just enough of the hot water to cover the rice. Blend until all the rice is ground fine.
4. Add the black sesame seeds to the blender. Blend until fine.
5. Transfer the black sesame and rice puree into a pot.
6. Add about 2-3 cups of water, depending on how thick you want the soup to be.
7. Boil, stirring continuously because the rice tends to stick to the bottom of the pan and form globs.
8. Add rock sugar to taste (start with 2 chunks, stir until dissolved. Taste. Add more rock sugar if you want it sweeter.)
9. Continue boiling until the mixture is cooked.