December is truly my favorite baking month of the entire year. It means lots of butter, sugar and flour, and the oven is working overtime. I adore coming up with new cookie concoctions in the kitchen and sharing them with friends and family.
I love to incorporate the season’s bounty into my cookies — think Linzer cookies filled with pear jam, orange shortbread sandwiching cranberry buttercream or my Black Sesame-Chocolate Chip Cookies with Orange, which I am sharing today.
Orange and chocolate combination!
Orange and chocolate is a classic match, making for a great twist to the chocolate chip cookie. They’re currently in abundance . In the lull of the winter blues, oranges brighten up the mood with their color, fragrance and acid. I often place oranges in a large shallow bowl as a dining room centerpiece for a pop of color.
When added to cakes, cookies or even pastry creams, orange zest imparts so much flavor. When zesting, be sure not to get to the inner white pith, which will add bitterness to your end product.
Chocolate and black sesame combination!
While less common, chocolate and black sesame is also a brilliant combination. Black sesame seeds have a lovely nutty flavor, especially when lightly toasted.
How do you make the black sesame paste?
This chocolate chip cookie starts off with a black sesame paste. Lightly toasted black sesame seeds have natural oils that are released when you run it through the food processor; slowly, it turns into a paste. (Honey helps, too.) The paste can be used for other desserts, such as black sesame ice cream. If you have store-bought black sesame paste already, you can use that instead.
Ingredients of the chocolate chip cookie dough for the Black Sesame and Orange Chocolate Chip Cookie
The ingredients of this amazing cookie are:
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder and baking soda: Both are leavening agents that help to spread the cookie and make them lighter in texture.
- Salt: Salt is always required in baked goods to balance out the flavors.
- Cardamom: is a floral spice that is one of my favorites, and adds a wonderful note along with the other components such as black sesame, orange and chocolate.
- Unsalted butter: I always use room temperature butter to get the fluffy texture in the cookie.
- Brown and white granulated sugars: Both sugars are required in this cookie, again imparting to the overall texture of the cookie.
- Eggs: Are required to bind the dough and also to make the cookie texture moist.
- Orange zest: The flavor of orange zest along with black sesame and chocolate is divine. I use a zester for getting the orange zest from the orange.
- Vanilla paste: I use vanilla paste and here is the brand that is my favorite. You can use vanilla extract as well.
The cookie dough is made with the usual suspects, starting with butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. The key is to whip the butter and sugars until the color changes to a pale yellow, which helps create a lighter cookie texture. Then we add eggs, vanilla and orange zest, followed by dry ingredients. Cardamom adds a subtle yet lovely touch.
The chocolate bar that I use in any chocolate chip cookie recipe
I like to chop up a bar of chocolate — namely the giant Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bars of semi-sweet chocolate and 72% dark chocolate — and add it to my cookies. I love how the bits come out of the oven all melty. But feel free to use chocolate chips if that is what you have.
How long do the cookies last? Do I warm them up before eating?
The cookies are best eaten within a week. I like to warm them in the microwave for 10 seconds before devouring them. If you’d rather make smaller cookies, you could use a two-tablespoon scoop, but you’ll need to reduce the bake time.
Some other cookies that are great for the holidays, and that are shippable as well are listed below:
Enjoy your holiday season and enjoy all the cookies and celebration with your loved ones!
XO
Amisha
Black Sesame and Orange Chocolate Chip Cookie
Black Sesame Paste
- ⅔ cup black sesame seeds, lightly toasted
- 3 tablespoons honey
Cookies:
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons table salt
- 1½ teaspoons freshly ground cardamom
- 2½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- Zest of 2 oranges
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips (about 70% cocoa content), plus more for garnishing
- Flaky sea salt (optional)
Get Recipe Ingredients
Make the Black Sesame Paste:
- In a mini food processor, add the black sesame seeds and grind until a fine powder forms. The sesame seeds will start to release their oil. Add the honey and grind until you get a smooth paste with a thick viscous consistency.
Make the cookies:
- In a medium bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cardamom, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, with a paddle attachment, add the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Start the mixer on slow speed and gradually increase to maximum speed. Mix for about 2 minutes, until off-white and fluffy. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and gather the mixture in the middle.
- Add eggs one at a time, and mix to combine.
- Add orange zest and vanilla, and mix to combine.
- Add the flour mixture in 2 parts, at slow speed so as not to splatter the flour everywhere. Mix until just combined.
- Add the chocolate chunks or chocolate chips and mix to combine, so they are spread uniformly.
- Add spoonfuls of black sesame paste on different parts of the dough. Mix at a slow speed to just swirl the paste into the dough, about 5 to 10 seconds. Do not overmix, otherwise you will get a black dough.
- Place the bowl of dough into the fridge for about 30 to 40 minutes.
To bake the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a ¼-cup ice cream scooper or measuring cup, scoop out a ball and place on the parchment paper. Place up to 5 cookie dough balls on each cookie sheet, at least 3 inches apart.
- Place sheets on the middle and lower rack of the oven. After 12 minutes, remove the baking pans. Bang each on the counter 2 to 3 times for the cookies to spread slightly and settle. Add about 3 chocolate chips on the top of each cookie. Place them back in the oven for 4 more minutes, for a total of 16 minutes.
- If the cookies spread to odd shapes, you can use a spatula or a large round cookie cutter to nudge the edges into a round shape. Add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, if using, on each cookie. Rest on the pan for 5 minutes and then place cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Repeat with the rest of the cookies.
Note:
- The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week. Microwave for 10 seconds prior to eating for a fresh-from-the-oven experience.
Notes
The chocolate bar that I use in any chocolate chip cookie recipe
I like to chop up a bar of chocolate — namely the giant Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bars of semi-sweet chocolate and 72% dark chocolate — and add it to my cookies. I love how the bits come out of the oven all melty. But feel free to use chocolate chips if that is what you have.
How long do the cookies last? Do I warm them up before eating?
The cookies are best eaten within a week. I like to warm them in the microwave for 10 seconds before devouring them. If you’d rather make smaller cookies, you could use a two-tablespoon scoop, but you’ll need to reduce the bake time.
