Sesame Cookies

This recipe is from The Tassajara Cookbook: Lunches, Picnics and Appetizers by Karla Oliveira, and at first I thought it was a little weird.

Unbaked, the dough tastes *a lot* like peanut butter cookie dough (I'm a dough eater, which James finds pretty disgusting). Normally that would be ok, except that I'm allergic to peanut butter, and even though there was no peanut butter within a quarter mile of my kitchen, they tasted and smelled enough like what I remember peanut butter to taste and smell like that they actually made me nervous. That was the raw. Fresh out of the oven, the cookies were kind of tasteless and really, really lean. Not great. Not tasty. Still I did my due diligence and waited for them to cool. Better. Light and crispy, buttery and kind of nutty, they tasted pretty good. I tried another. Still tasted pretty good. I started noticing the toasty taste of the sesame seeds and the slightly salty sweetness. I tried another. Better and better. And so on through half a dozen cookies. The take away? These cookies are slow out of the gate, but they really grow on you. Just make sure you hold off until they've cooled - not always easy with cookies :-)

Ingredients:

- 2/3 cup of vegetable oil

- 1/2 tbs. toasted sesame oil (the original recipe doesn't call for it - can be omitted altogether)

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 1 egg

- 1 tsp. vanilla

- 1 tsp. lemon zest (I omitted this - didn't have lemons)

- 1 cup sesame seeds, toasted and cooled

- 1 cup shredded coconut, toasted and cooled (I omitted this - didn't have coconut)

- 2 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 tsp. baking powder

- 1/2 tsp. baking soda

- 3/4 tsp. salt

Process:

1. Combine the oils, brown sugar, egg and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until well blended.

2. Add the toasted sesame seeds, coconut (if using) and lemon zest (if using).

3. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking power, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine.

4. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix until combined. Don't over-mix or it will make the cookies tough.

5. Shape the dough into 1 in. balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet (parchment paper is ok). Press the balls down with a fork or the back of a spoon. About 12 should fit on a standard cookie sheet.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 13-15 minutes, until the cookies are golden and slightly browned on the bottom.

7. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer them to a rack and let them cool the rest of the way. They'll keep for about a week in a well sealed container. Makes about 2 - 2 1/2 dozen cookies. I don't know if the dough will freeze well - I'll have to try that next time.