I think there are two types of people.
Nut lovers and nut haters.
People don’t often fall in the middle ground on the nut issue.
At least in my experience.
I’m a nut lover.
I have my family full of nuts to thank for that!
Just kidding :)
But I do have my family to thank…
I grew up having nuts around the house and at parties and in baked goods and I developed a strong love for the little buggers.
To me anything is better with nuts.
I love nuts on salads, in pastas, in breads and cookies and cakes and bowls on the table and anywhere else!
Crunchy, rich, and occasionally salted, nuts are downright delicious in my opinion.
The funniest part of this long, nut-raving intro is that these cookies don’t even contain nuts!
They are coated in seeds.
Sesame seeds.
Mmmmm.
I happen to be a seed lover too.
For all the same reasons I love nuts….they’re rich, crunchy, and satisfying.
When I came across this recipe in a Better Homes & Gardens Prizewinning Recipes Volume, I knew I had to give them a whirl.
Rich velvety chocolate, smooth creamy tahini (sesame seed paste) and crispy toasted sesame seeds wooed me into whipping up a batch this afternoon :)
I happen to have tahini and sesame seeds on hand almost all the time and the rest of the ingredients were pantry staples, so I can definitely see myself making these again and again.
Such a nice change of pace from your typical chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin or peanut butter cookies.
There’s something elegant about them and I think they’d be lovely to serve after dinner when entertaining company.
It’s going to take a lot of will power for me not to gobble these all up in a couple of days! They’re so chewy and fudgy :)
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate (i used a cup of chocolate chips)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup toasted sesame seeds
- In a small saucepan melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in tahini. Set aside.
- In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs until frothy. Add brown sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined and light. Beat in chocolate mixture. Beat in flour mixture just until combined. Cover dough; chill about 30 minutes, until easy to handle.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll dough into 1-inch balls; roll balls in sesame seeds to coat. Place on cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until puffed and set on the bottoms. Transfer cookies to wire rack; cool completely.
**I just remembered a third camp of people in the nut debate…the allergic folks. I’m so sorry you can’t indulge in nuts or maybe even seeds!**
