Black Sesame Cookies 黒胡麻クッキー

• Before You Start…Please note that this recipe requires at least one hour of chilling time. 

  Gather all the ingredients. I highly encourage you to weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale for this recipe. For weights, click the Metric button above. If you‘re using a cup measurement, please follow the “fluff and sprinkle“ method: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup, and level it off. Otherwise, you may scoop more flour than you need.
  

To Make the Dough

• Prepare the butter: Cut 120 g unsalted butter (½ cup + ½ Tbsp) into small cubes. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

  Nami's Tip: I cut the butter on parchment paper and wrap it up for easy transfer.
  
• Blend dry ingredients: In a food processor (or regular bowl), combine 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour (plain flour), 40 g almond meal (¼ cup + 4 tsp), 6 Tbsp sugar, and ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Pulse or whisk briefly to combine.
  
• Add sesame seeds (Choose your timing):

  For fine ground sesame seeds – Add 5 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds to the dry ingredients now and pulse.

  For whole sesame seeds – Set them aside to add later with the egg yolk in Step 5.
  
• Incorporate cold butter: Add the chilled butter cubes to the dry mixture. Pulse (or use a pastry cutter if using a bowl) until the butter is incorporated into the dry ingredients and forms coarse crumbs.
  
• Add egg yolk: Add 1 large egg yolk (and the whole sesame seeds, if you saved them for this step). Pulse or mix just until the dough comes together.
  
• Mix completely: If using a small food processor and the dough isn't fully combined, turn it out into a bowl and mix gently with a silicone spatula until even.
  

To Roll and Chill the Dough

• Form the dough: Transfer the dough to your work surface, bring it together into a smooth ball, and divide it into 2 equal portions.
  
• Shape into logs: Roll each portion into a log about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter.

  Nami's Tip: Wrapping the dough in plastic wrap makes shaping much easier. Roll the log, peel back the wrap, smooth out any air pockets, and wrap again until you get a uniform cylinder.
  
• Chill until firm: Wrap both logs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until completely firm.

  Nami's Tip: To keep the bottom of your logs round while chilling, rest them on a small bed of raw rice in a tray so they don't flatten under their own weight.
  

To Bake

• rep and slice: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC).

  Remove the plastic wrap and slice the log into discs, about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, for a yield of 40 cookies. For thicker, softer-centered cookies, slice into ½ inch (1.3 cm) discs for a yield of 20 cookies.
  
• Bake: Arrange the slices on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown.

  Nami's Tip: If baking in batches, keep the unbaked dough log in the refrigerator between rounds so the butter stays cold.
  
• Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to set, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
  

To Store

• Room temperature: Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy within 3 days while they are at peak freshness and crispness.

  Freezer: Store the baked cookies in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container with parchment paper between layers. Keep frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.