The recipe for this Black Sesame Mandelbrot comes from my mother-in-law, who used to make them as a special treat for all of her kids and grandkids! She made Grandma’s Chocolate Chip Mandelbrot with chocolate chips, nuts, and a dusting of cinnamon sugar on top. They were to die for! Crispy and so delicious. We have always loved her version, and one year, we dipped the mandelbrot in melted chocolate as a special holiday cookie, and they were fabulous! When we were in Tucson over Christmas this past year, we went to Yellow Brick Coffee one morning and discovered a black sesame biscotti there. It was delicious, and even though this is not their recipe, we thank them for the inspiration for these Black Sesame Mandelbrot.
Biscuit in English, biscotti in Italian, mandelbrot in German, and kamish brot in Ukrainian – all are versions of the same twice-baked cookie. Though now associated with a frothy cappuccino, biscotti date (biscotti is plural in Italian:)back to ancient times, and because they were flat, dry, and twice-baked, they kept well, making them the perfect sustenance for travelers, soldiers, and sailors. Roman legions partook of the biscuits, while the Roman scholar Pliny claimed that “Parthian bread” would keep for centuries. Under Louis XIV, the biscuits were known as “stone bread.
The name biscotti stems from the Latin “bis” meaning twice, and “coctus” meaning cooked, and literally means “twice cooked.” The cookies often contain nuts, as reflected in the German variety, mandelbrot, where “mandel” means almond, and “brodt” means bread. Mandelbrot is of Germanic heritage and is traditionally associated with Eastern European Jews.
Biscotti, mandelbrot, or kamish brot, whatever the nationality, are tasty with coffee, tea, or even a glass of wine.
My mother-in-law gave me this recipe, Grandma’s Chocolate Chip Mandelbrot, and she used to make it with chocolate chips and nuts. We have always loved her version, and one year, we dipped the mandelbrot in melted chocolate as a special holiday cookie, and they were fabulous! When we were in Tucson over Christmas this past year, we went to Yellow Brick Coffee one morning and discovered a black sesame biscotti there. It was delicious, and even though this is not their recipe, we thank them for the inspiration for these Black Sesame Mandelbrot.
Black Sesame Mandelbrot
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2/3 cup black sesame seeds or pecans
Sugar & Cinnamon Topping
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
- Spray a baking sheet wtih cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 ℉.
- Mix dries in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, oil, and vanilla and mix well. Add egg mixture and sesame seeds to dries and mix well.
- Place dough on floured board and knead until smooth and no longer sticky. (The dough will seem very sticky and oily at first.)
- Divide dough into equal thirds and shape each into a log about 8-10 inches long and 2-3 inches in diameter. Place logs on prepared baking sheet. Press down on the logs to flatten just slightly into ovals. Can bake immediately or refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Bake for 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet on a surface that can withstand the heat.
- Using a large chef knife, cut each log into 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal. Separate the cookies just a tiny bit from each other with the edge of the knife as you cut them.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for 10 minutes longer.
- Cool on the pan before completely separating the cookies. . Store or freeze in an airtight container. If you make them well ahead of time, be sure to bake them a third time for 5-10 minutes in a 350 F oven before serving. After this baking, they will remain crispy until they are devoured!
