August 9, 2014

Open Sesame Cookies

Blue ribbon winner: Brown butter in the dough and frosting

Open Sesame Cookies recipe 1

Perfectly baked. Perfect flavor. These Open Sesame Cookies won last year at a Chicago area fair (2013 DuPage County Fair). We still talk about these cookies.

Open Sesame Cookies 6

Even without the icing, these cookies are perfection. And they are easy to make. If we can do it, you can too. You start by browning your butter with toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds.
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The reason people go nuts for brown butter is simple. It is nutty amazing!  No other way to describe it.Open Sesame Cookies 3

The dough comes together great once you have that done. Be sure to sift the flour before you measure it.

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Between that and not overbaking, you will have a kudos-worthy cookie too. Here they are, mid frosting. The icing flavor will wow you.

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The winner Gayle had a history of baking for a Chicago test kitchen. She nailed her presentation with this recipe. I remember the judges specifically noting the ideal browning and consistent size of the cookies.

GMF IL Dupage 2013 Judging 12

When we did our trial run, we nailed the bake time too. Yay!!

Open Sesame Cookies 9If you are looking for an outstanding cookie for people who maybe don’t like chocolate (there are a few of you I hear =), this is a definite go to!

Sidenote: The DuPage Fair recently wrapped and we’ll have a 2014 winner from this fair soon. It’s another perfect cookie, so be sure to check back for it. In the meantime, open sesame!

-Cyndi

Open Sesame Seed Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened, divided

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/3 cup sesame seeds

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

2 cups Gold Medal All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon flaked sea salt

3 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Brown 1/2 cup butter, toasted sesame seed oil and sesame seeds in medium saucepan over low heat until golden brown (watch carefully to avoid burning). Remove from heat; set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix remaining 1/2 cup butter, sugar and egg thoroughly. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of sesame seeds (from the browned butter) to sugar mixture. Blend in water. Measure flour after sifting. Stir dry ingredients together; blend into sugar mixture. Roll dough into 3/4-inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. Flatten the balls with the bottom of a greased glass dipped in sugar. Bake about 10 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. For frosting, blend confectioner’s sugar, milk and vanilla together with the remaining browned butter-sesame seed mixture. Stir until smooth. Frost cooled cookies. Store in airtight container. Yields: approximately 4 dozen cookies, with a generous amount of frosting.

-Recipe from Gayle, DuPage Fair (IL), 2013 Gold Medal Flour Contest