Today for Day 3 of these festive 12 Days of Cookies, I went with something a little different and one that sort of caught me by surprise. Not long ago, I stopped in a Chinatown bakery for a few cookies. On a whim I threw a sesame cookie into the mix, which is odd because I’m not the biggest fan of sesame seeds. Turns out it was pretty good and it spawned an idea and a flavor I haven’t really explored for this whole one dough/many cookies thing. I like to mix things up so let’s give Orange Sesame Crisps a whirl, shall we?
I really liked the combination of citrus and sesame together and particularly liked orange and sesame so to the basic dough I’ve added a good amount of fresh orange zest and a little almond extract. To make the cookies nice and crispy, I added some additional sweetners – honey and brown sugar in this case. Rolled into balls then coated pretty heavily with toasted sesame seeds, you get a cookie with a brand new flavor profile that might lean a little toward the savory side and has a great crispy-crunchy texture. For someone who is not a big sesame fan, I really enjoy these especially with a cup of tea. Quite nice and rather adult, if I do say so.
STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: SURPRISE SURPRISE. Well these were a delightful surprise! They’ll add a really nice mix to your holiday lineup and not one you’d typically find nestled in the Christmas cookie plate. Give it a try. And keep them in mind for the future as they’d be a great ending to an Asian-inspired meal. Not too sweet, not too big, just right.
2016 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup: Jam Thumbprints, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Butter Rum Bars, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Russian Tea Cakes, Rosemary Apricot Shortbread, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Chocolate Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Coconut Lime Sticks, Pecan Triangles, Peppermint Crisps
2017 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Raspberry Linzer Bars, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Banana Walnut Bars, PBJ Sandwich Cookies, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons
2018 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup to date:
Basic Butter Cookie Dough
Day 1: Jam Streusel Tarts
Day 2: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels
DAY 3: ORANGE SESAME CRISPS
Basic butter cookie dough, room temperature – recipe here
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Add the basic butter dough to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Add the remaining ingredients – sesame seeds, orange zest, almond extract, baking soda, honey, brown sugar – and mix on medium until fully combined.
- Roll tablespoon sized pieces of dough into nice, round balls and roll to coat fully in sesame seeds.
- Arrange cookies 1 ½” apart on parchment paper lined sheet pans.
- Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until they feel just firm to the touch and are lightly golden on the bottoms.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Do ahead: Dough can be made ahead and frozen up to 3 months. I like to roll into balls (without the sesame seed coating), freeze until solid on a sheetpan and store in a Ziploc bag labeled with the baking time and temperature. Let defrost a bit so the sesame seeds will stick while coating and bake as directed.
STRESSCAKE 
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