Sesame orange almond cookies, adapted from a recipe at Don't Burn the Garlic. Crispy on the outside, sesame goodness on the inside.I substituted almond flour for 1/3 of the all-purpose flour in the original recipe. If you don't have almond flour, just go ahead and use three cups of all-purpose flour, as suggested by the original recipe.
Don't Burn the Garlic suggested adding a little orange zest -- it sounded like a great idea, and so I did, along with a little orange blossom water. However, while the resulting cookies were very good, they didn't have much of a citrus kick -- I'm not sure what more I could do to boost the orange flavor. Suggestions?
Ingredients1 cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted (I used the lowest possible setting on my toaster oven)
2 sticks butter, softened
zest of one orange (optional)
1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup almond flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, mix the toasted sesame seeds into the softened butter (it's OK if the butter melts).
Mix in the orange zest, orange blossom water, and vanilla extract.
Add the sugars and blend thoroughly.
Stir in the eggs.
Add the salt and baking powder.
Slowly stir in the almond and all-purpose flours, about 1 cup at a time.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and pre-heat the oven to 375 F.
Scoop up dough one teaspoon at a time, and roll into a ball with your hands. Place the rounded ball of dough on a non-stick cookie sheet.
Repeat until you filled the cookie sheet (12 cookies).
Bake for 11 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from oven, and place on a rack to cool.
I got almost 4 dozen cookies.
8 comments:
Bea;
Would replacing the vanilla extract with orange extract or with a few drops of orange oil typically used in candy making help with enhancing the citrus flavor in the cookies?
I was thinking the same thing that Donna mentioned. But, I do like to use orange extract so keep that in mind.
If you wanted to reduce the fat and up the orange flavor you could also trying subbing a tablespoon of butter with orange juice concentrate. Since that works with applesauce the orange juice concentrate in a small amount may also work.
The cookies do sound good, and they look beautiful. I love the black sesame seeds.
Alicia
Why do I read blogs just before lunch? Now I've got a craving for these cookies. :)
Love how you used the white and black sesame seeds together, especially since the little specks of black make the cookies so pretty.
BTW, I second the suggestion of adding a little orange essence along with the vanilla. I'd probably add the juice from the oranges, too (a couple tbsp shouldn't affect the consistency of the cookies too significantly.. think of it as living on the edge).
These look awesome, great pic! I agree with Donna maybe a little extract. Yummy!!
Orange extract it is. I like these cookies so much, I might try another batch with orange juice concentrate, too. Once I finish this batch, of course.
Thanks for the ideas!
B
Thanks! Theses cookies look gorgeous...especially with the black sesame seeds.
I agree with the idea of adding some orange oil. That stuff is amazing! A drop added to sweet potatoes is also fabulous.
These cookies look really good.
Livin' on the edge Beatrice! You totally took sesame cookies and flipped them on their head. I love it! Everything from adding the toasted seeds into the batter to the addition of citrus.
IMHO though, I use orange water when I make Madeleine cookies and it's very subtle. I prefer orange extract for a bang. Also, the orange zest is subtle and is not meant to give the cookie a pronounced citrus flavor which, from the post, I gather you were looking for. So, instead of orange zest, I would try tangerine zest because it packs more citrus flavor (SECRET: we use tangerine zest in our homemade Italian Struffoli for Christmas.
I'm really interested in observing the evolution of this cookie. Thanks for featuring me in your blog!
Cheers!
Joe @ DBG!
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