Whiteley Creek Homestead

Did you know that "just a quarter-cup of sesame seeds supplies 74.0% of the daily value for copper, 31.6% of the DV for magnesium, and 35.1% of the DV for calcium? Also, sesame seeds are a good source of manganese, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1 , zinc, and dietary fiber. In addition to these important nutrients, sesame seeds contain two unique substances: sesamin and sesamolin. Both of these substances belong to a group called lignans, which have a cholesterol-lowering effect, prevent high blood pressure, and increase vitamin E supplies. Sesamin has also been found to protect the liver from oxidative damage." For more in-depth information on sesame seeds as well as a myriad of information on eating healthy, go to the "World's Healthiest Foods" web site. Today I made cookies that have a whopping 1 cup of sesame seeds in a batch of 18 cookies. They are very tasty as is, but I think you could toss in a some dried fruit (i.e., raisins, dates, or figs) to change them up a bit then reduce the amount of brown sugar. Don't mess around buying the tiny jars of sesame seeds in the spice/seasonings grocery aisle. Arrowhead Mills sells a 12 oz. bag of organic sesame seeds. Note: In parenthesis, after some ingredients in the recipe, are substitutions suggested by Erica from PA who tried this recipe. I love to hear from readers! What wonderful suggestions to make these cookies even more nutritious!   

Sesame Cookies from M.S. Everyday Food

Makes 36 small or 18 regular-size cookies

½ cup all-purpose flour… I substituted w.w. pastry flour.

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

1 cup sesame seeds, toasted* (or raw unhulled sunflower seeds)

½ cup brown sugar…Try reducing to 1/4 c. br. sug. (or honey) and add in 1/4 c. raisins, dates, or figs.

2 tbsp butter, softened (or 1 tbsp coconut oil and 1 tbsp olive oil)

2 egg yolks

1 tsp cider vinegar

½ tsp vanilla

*Toasting sesame seeds brings out the seeds’ full, nutty flavor. Heat the seeds in a dry heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, or on a sheet in a 275° oven, until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°. Coat a cookie sheet with a little oil; set aside. Blend flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and sesame seeds in small bowl. Cream sugar and butter in mixing bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, vinegar, and vanilla, and beat well. Add flour mixture and beat or stir until blended. Spoon slightly rounded teaspoons of dough 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. (I used slightly rounded tablespoons and increased the baking time a couple minutes.) Gently press down cookies with a fork to flatten slightly. Bake 5 to 6 minutes for small cookies (8 to 10 minutes for regular-size) until edges are golden. Remove from oven. Cool 1 minute then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.