These black sesame cookies are chewy, soft centered cookies with black sesame paste in the dough and a frozen nugget of sweet sesame filling sealed inside. The recipe makes 12 cookies and takes about an hour, most of it the 30 minute chill. Bake them at 350°F for 12 to 14 minutes and pull them while the centers still look soft.
Two tablespoons of black sesame paste go into the dough, which turns it a soft gray and gives a toasty, nutty flavor that sits somewhere between peanut butter and dark roasted tahini. The filling uses 3 more tablespoons, so each bite ends in a creamy sesame middle. If you already love black sesame ice cream, this is the cookie version of that flavor.
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- Yield: 12 stuffed cookies, about 2 tablespoons of dough each
- Time: 20 minutes prep, 30 minutes chilling, 12 to 14 minutes baking
- Oven: 350°F (175°C), parchment lined baking sheet, cookies 2 inches apart
- Sesame paste: 5 tablespoons total, 2 in the dough and 3 in the filling
- Keeps: 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container
Which Black Sesame Paste to Buy
Look for a jar labeled black sesame paste, roasted black sesame paste, or Japanese kuro neri goma at an Asian grocery store. Choose one that lists only sesame seeds, or sesame and a little oil. Sweetened black sesame spreads and soup fillings already contain sugar and starch, and they make the cookies sweeter and softer than the recipe expects.
Stir the jar all the way to the bottom before you measure. The oil rises to the top while the solids pack down. An oily spoonful makes the cookies spread, and a dry scoop from the bottom gives you stiff dough that cracks when you wrap the filling.
To make your own, toast black sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium low heat just until they smell nutty and start to pop, then grind them in a food processor until the paste loosens and flows. Pull the seeds the moment they smell toasted. Scorched sesame tastes bitter, and the bitterness carries straight into the cookie.
Black Sesame Paste vs Tahini in Cookies
Tahini is made from white or hulled sesame seeds, often lightly roasted, so it tastes milder and brighter. You can swap it in tablespoon for tablespoon. The cookies will bake up beige instead of gray, and the flavor will be softer and less toasty. For the dark color and that deep roasted taste, black sesame paste is the one to use.
Mixing the Gray Sesame Dough
Start the filling first so it has time to firm up. Mix the 3 tablespoons of black sesame paste with the powdered sugar and softened butter until thick and creamy. Scoop 12 teaspoon size portions onto a parchment lined plate and freeze them for about 15 minutes.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Measure the flour with a scale if you have one, or spoon it into the cup and level it. Packed flour is the usual reason these cookies come out dry and puffy instead of chewy.
Beat the room temperature butter with both sugars for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla, then the sesame paste and milk. It turns soft gray here. Add the dry ingredients and stop mixing as soon as no flour streaks remain. Cover the bowl and chill for 30 minutes.
Wrapping the Filling So It Stays Inside
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of chilled dough, flatten it into a disk in your palm, and set a frozen filling portion in the middle. Fold the dough up and around it, pinch the seam closed, and roll it into a smooth ball.
Place each ball seam side down, 2 inches apart. Rolling the balls in granulated sugar first is optional; it gives the tops a light crunch and makes the cracks sparkle.
When Gray Cookies Are Done
Color will not help you here. The dough starts gray and stays gray, so you cannot wait for golden edges the way you would with sugar cookies. Look for cracks across the tops, a matte surface instead of a shiny one, and edges that look set. The centers should still look puffy and soft.
That usually happens between 12 and 14 minutes. Leave the cookies on the hot sheet for 5 minutes, where the centers finish setting, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Baked longer, they firm up and the filling loses its creamy texture.
Leaks, Spreading and Dry Cookies
- Filling leaked out: the dough was thin at the seam, or the filling was soft when you wrapped it. Keep the portions frozen until you need each one, and pinch the seam closed before rolling.
- Cookies spread flat: the dough was warm or the butter was too soft. Chill the full 30 minutes, and put the shaped balls back in the fridge for 10 minutes if your kitchen is warm.
- Dry, cakey cookies: too much flour or too long in the oven. Weigh the flour and take them out while the centers are still soft.
- Greasy cookies: the sesame paste was scooped from the oily top of an unstirred jar.
Swaps and Serving Ideas
White chocolate chips work well against the roasted sesame. A tablespoon of cocoa powder makes a darker cookie with a quiet chocolate note. You can also roll the dough balls in raw sesame seeds instead of sugar for a crunchy, toasty outside.
Serve them with green tea, or press two cookies around a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They sit well on a plate with matcha mochi with red beans or homemade mango mochi. If you like cookies with a hidden middle, try chocolate stuffed crinkle cookies or caramel stuffed snickerdoodles. For another tea time cookie, matcha crinkle cookies use the same chill and roll method.
Storing Black Sesame Cookies
Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; the filling stays soft. In the fridge they keep for about 5 days. Baked cookies also freeze well in a sealed bag. Let them come to room temperature before serving so the center softens again.
Black Sesame Cookie Questions
What can I make with leftover black sesame paste?
Stir it into ice cream bases, swirl it into cupcake batter, or spread it on toast with honey. On this site it goes into black sesame ice cream and black sesame and raspberry cupcakes.
Can I use black sesame seeds instead of paste?
Not whole. Toast and grind them into a smooth paste first, otherwise the dough stays gritty and the filling will not hold together.
Can I skip the filling?
Yes. On its own it bakes into plain chewy black sesame cookies on its own. Check them at 11 minutes, since unfilled cookies are slightly thinner.
Save these black sesame cookies to a cookie board on Pinterest, and tell me in the comments which paste you used. Questions about the dough are welcome too.
Black Sesame Stuffed Cookies Recipe
These black sesame cookies are chewy cookies made with flour, butter, brown and white sugar, and black sesame paste, with a sweet black sesame filling sealed inside each one. The recipe makes 12 stuffed cookies in about an hour, including a 30 minute chill, and they bake at 350°F for 12 to 14 minutes until cracked on top and soft in the middle. The filling is frozen in small portions first, so it stays firm while you wrap the dough around it and turns creamy in the oven. Serve these sesame cookies with green tea, sandwich them around vanilla ice cream, or add them to a cookie tray next to mochi and matcha cookies. Tahini works in place of black sesame paste for a milder, beige cookie. They keep 3 days in an airtight container.
Ingredients
- FOR THE COOKIE DOUGH
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons black sesame paste
- 1 tablespoon milk
- FOR THE BLACK SESAME FILLING
- 3 tablespoons black sesame paste
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon softened butter
- Optional for rolling
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
PREPARE THE SESAME FILLING: In a small bowl mix the black sesame paste, powdered sugar, and softened butter until the mixture becomes thick and creamy. Scoop teaspoon-sized portions onto a parchment-lined plate. Place the plate in the freezer for about 15 minutes so the filling firms and becomes easy to handle when shaping the cookies.
MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a medium bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Set the bowl aside while preparing the cookie dough.
CREAM THE BUTTER AND SUGARS: In a large mixing bowl beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together for about 2–3 minutes until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Proper creaming helps create a tender cookie texture.
ADD THE WET INGREDIENTS: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and mix until smooth. Add the black sesame paste and milk, then mix again until fully incorporated. The dough will begin to turn a soft gray color.
COMBINE THE DOUGH: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture. Mix only until a soft dough forms. Avoid overmixing to maintain a tender cookie texture. Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes so the cookies hold their shape during baking.
SHAPE THE COOKIES: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough and flatten it slightly in your hand. Place one frozen sesame filling portion in the center and wrap the dough around it to fully enclose the filling. Roll the dough into a smooth ball. Roll the dough ball in granulated sugar if a lightly crisp exterior is desired. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet with about 2 inches of space between each cookie.
BAKE THE COOKIES: Bake for 12–14 minutes until the cookies spread slightly and develop cracks across the surface. The edges should appear set while the centers remain soft. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Stir the jar of black sesame paste all the way to the bottom before measuring; the oil separates and an oily scoop makes the cookies spread. Choose unsweetened paste. To make your own, toast black sesame seeds just until fragrant (scorched seeds taste bitter) and grind in a food processor until smooth.
Keep the filling portions frozen until you wrap each one, pinch the seam closed and bake seam side down to prevent leaks.
Chilling the dough helps prevent excessive spreading and keeps the filling centered during baking.
The cookies do not brown much, so look for cracks and set edges instead of color.
Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
