Japan is an island nation in East Asia, situated in the Pacific Ocean east of the Sea of Japan and neighboring countries such as China, the Koreas and Russia. Often called the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan is known for a strong cultural pride in its language and traditions, and for a reputation for hard work. When people think of Japanese food, sushi often comes to mind first, but rice is the true staple of the cuisine. During the early days of my food blogging I watched many videos of Japanese street food. One popular street snack, takoyaki — a pancake-like ball with octopus — reminded me of the South Indian paniyaram, though they are different dishes. Years ago I tried cold soba noodles and tempura for a Daring Cooks challenge and enjoyed the unique textures and flavors of Japanese cooking.
For today’s recipe I was looking for cookies with a Japanese twist. Many recipes called for matcha (green tea powder), which I couldn’t source locally, so I chose a recipe featuring sesame seeds. The combination of black and white sesame seeds gives these cookies their characteristic nutty flavor — sesame is the clear star. The dough for this eggless version was a bit challenging to work with: after omitting the egg I added an extra 1/4 cup of flour and the dough’s texture changed. It felt thin at first, then reached the right consistency after the additional flour, but chilled dough began to crumble in the refrigerator. Because the dough resembled an icebox cookie dough, I intended to slice it into rounds after chilling. Once it started to crumble, I pressed the pieces together and shaped them into rounds by hand. The finished cookies baked up crisp and delicious, with a flavor that recalled the traditional Indian ellu urundai (sesame jaggery balls) in a cookie form. My husband loved them.
Eggless Japanese Sesame Cookies
Makes: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- Oil — 3/4 cup
- Sugar — 3/4 cup (powdered is preferred)
- Milk — 1/4 cup
- All-purpose flour (maida) — 1 3/4 cups (note: I used 2 cups and the dough became crumbly)
- Baking powder — 1 tsp
- Salt — a pinch
- Mixed black and white sesame seeds — 3/4 cup
Method
- Powder the sugar in a mixer or blender for a fine texture.
- Combine the powdered sugar with the oil and mix until smooth and homogenous.
- Stir the sesame seeds into the sugar-oil mixture so they are evenly distributed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the sesame-oil mixture and mix until you form a soft, slightly thin dough. If the dough is too wet, add a small amount of flour; if it is too dry, add a teaspoon of milk at a time.
- Divide the dough into two portions. Wrap each portion tightly in cling film and shape each into a roll for slicing, or form small logs for easier handling.
- Refrigerate the wrapped rolls until firm. Chilling helps the dough set and makes slicing easier.
- When the dough is firm, slice into 1/4-inch rounds and arrange on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. If the dough crumbles while slicing, press the pieces gently back together and shape them into round cookies by hand, then place them on the tray.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 175°C (around 350°F) for about 20 minutes, or until the cookies turn golden brown at the edges.
- Remove the tray from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the tray for a few minutes to firm up.
- Carefully lift the cookies with a spatula and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once fully cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container to maintain their crispness.
These eggless sesame cookies are a simple, satisfying bake that pairs well with tea or coffee. The dual sesame seeds add visual contrast and a rich, toasty flavor. If the dough is crumbly after refrigeration, gently pressing the pieces back together before baking works well and still produces crisp, flavorful cookies. Adjust flour and milk sparingly to achieve the right dough consistency, especially when adapting a recipe to be eggless. Experiment with proportions to match your local ingredients and oven behavior — small tweaks often yield the best results.
