Chocolate Chip Cookies With Black Sesame and Seaweed

Chocolate Chip Cookies With Black Sesame and Seaweed
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour, plus chilling
Rating
4(230)
Comments
Read comments

This complex and earthy cookie comes from Zoe Kanan, the pastry chef at Simon & the Whale restaurant in New York, and proves the notion that ingenuity is often born of necessity. While working in Hong Kong on a collaborative dinner with Yardbird restaurant, Ms. Kazan found herself with a glut of specialty ingredients at her disposal. Inspired by the experimental flavor combinations for which her mentor, Christina Tosi, is known, Ms. Kanan added black sesame paste, seaweed and sesame seeds to a tahini chocolate chip cookie recipe she’d been developing. Deeply chocolatey and extremely savory, the result —this cookie, created for the 2019 NYT Food Festival — is perplexing at first bite and addictive after that. —Alexa Weibel

Featured in: Finding the Deliciousness in New York City

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Ingredients

Yield:22 cookies
  • cups/190 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
  • cups/140 grams dark rye flour or pumpernickel flour
  • 1teaspoon baking powder
  • ½packed teaspoon baking soda
  • teaspoons fine sea salt
  • ¾cup/165 grams dark brown sugar
  • cup/135 grams granulated sugar
  • ½cup plus 2 tablespoons/140 grams unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2large eggs plus 1 yolk
  • cup plus 1 tablespoon/105 grams black sesame paste, such as Kevala Black Sesame Tahini, or regular tahini
  • 1tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 13ounces/370 grams 65 to 70 percent dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • ½cup/5 grams kizami nori (toasted and shredded seaweed) (see Tip)
  • 1cup/120 grams black sesame seeds, to coat
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (22 servings)

380 calories; 24 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 18 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 178 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and rye flours, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt; set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat both sugars together on medium speed to blend. Add butter and beat on medium until beginning to lighten and starting to become creamy, about 2 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time to the butter mixture, beating until incorporated, then add the black sesame paste and vanilla, and blend just until combined.

  4. Step 4

    Add the flour mixture all at once, and use a sturdy rubber spatula to fold it into the butter mixture until about halfway combined, and the mixture goes from a shaggy mess to a semi-combined dough. Scatter the chocolate and seaweed on top and fold just until dough forms. (A gentle touch is necessary, as overmixing can cause the dough to separate and crumble.)

  5. Step 5

    Add the black sesame seeds to a shallow bowl. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, portion the dough into about 22 balls (60 grams each). Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll it between your palms until rounded, then gently roll it into the sesame seeds until coated all over. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet and transfer to the refrigerator to chill at least 4 hours. (You can prepare the dough balls up to one week in advance; transfer to a lidded container or loosely cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

  6. Step 6

    When ready to bake, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the cookies a few inches apart on a large baking sheet and bake until they have spread out slightly but are still puffed in the center, about 12 minutes. Once you’ve removed the baking sheet from the oven, gently tap the center of each cookie down using the bottom of a ladle, pressing just until you’ve created a slightly indented crater. (This technique helps ensure a gooey and chewy center.)

  7. Step 7

    Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store, covered, at room temperature, up to 2 days.

Tip
  • If you can’t find kizami nori, you can use any supermarket variety of toasted and salted nori or standard seaweed snacks; simply cut them into short, very thin strips.

Ratings

4 out of 5
230 user ratings
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Comments

Follow the recipe by weight, not volume! Notice there’s a 50g difference between the rye and all purpose flours because they weigh differently than the 1.5 cups by volume. By using the correct ingredients (no subs) and by weight, these cookies came out lovely- subtle, complex, nutty, a little savory, and very chocolatey! Not a cookie I would make for a family get-together say, but certainly one I’d make to enjoy on my own or for those that love unique twists in desserts.

I veganized these and the complex & unique flavors turned out amazing! Definitely recommend these to satisfy those period cravings (if you menstruate) as they contain a lot of the microminerals your body needs then. Instead of 2 eggs and 1 yolk, I used 3 tbsp ground flax seed whisked with 9 tbsp water, earth balance instead of dairy butter, and coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar. Follow the weight measurements! Chilled the dough whole first then formed balls and rolled in sesame seeds.

What if I don’t have the patience to for it to cool for four hours? What do I do then?

I was very intrigued to make these, but they weren’t as good as I had hoped. I used a dark chocolate chip with no sugar. If I made again, I would use dark chocolate with sugar, as I think they need to be more sweet. I

I was very intrigued to make these cookies, however, they fell a little flat for me. I used dark chocolate chips with no sugar. If I made again, I would used sweetened dark chocolate.

The other comments on these cookies were so mixed, I wasn’t sure what to expect. These were a win, 60g cookies are NOT too large. The thickness helps give them a better texture. I subbed spicy tahini for black sesame paste which gave a wonderfully subtle kick. Picked up a pack of single serve sea salt seaweed which worked perfectly. Perfect mix of salty and sweet.

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Credits

Adapted from Zoe Kanan, Simon & The Whale, New York

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