Ginger Sesame Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cookies are one of the most easily customizable treats for any home baker, and today I’ve gone quite exploratory. Mix-ins can be swapped for new flavors, sugar ratios can be tinkered with for texture, and baking time and temperature help us in the quest for the ultimate bite, whether it be crispy, chewy, or soft (or, ideally all 3). I set out to take the humble, beloved chocolate chip cookie and give it a fresh twist with the flavors that have been on my mind lately.
Sesame is having a moment, with the big tahini craze and the now-mainstream availability of halvah, a delicious sesame-based sweet. Sesame seeds themselves have a wonderful nuttiness when dry roasted just before using, so I toast them in a pan here prior to adding them into the batter.
Another opportunity for toasty flavor: the rye flour! Let it be known that I currently have 9—yes, nine—types of flour on top of my fridge in my small NYC apartment. My flour collecting habit has taken off since I started bread baking, but the interesting flours I keep can be used far beyond sourdough. Luckily, rye is easily found in most grocery stores. Using some proportion of rye in a chocolate chip cookie is not a new idea, so I looked to other recipes and similarly included the step of dry-toasting the flour until it gets a few shades darker. This brings out the nuttiness in the rye, which is perfectly complemented by the sesame, giving these cookies a delicious grown-up twist. Plus, rye is a whole grain, so these are totally healthy…
Lastly, I use crystalized ginger to bring warmth, spice, and a little bit of chew to the cookies. The sweet heat of the sugary ginger plays well with the nutty flour and sesame. And ginger plus chocolate is a winning combo: sweet, rich, with each flavor elevating another.
These are not your mother’s chocolate chip cookies, or your grandmother’s chocolate chip cookies, or even the chocolate chip cookies I usually make. These are special, and so worth the exploration. So go forth, my cookie adventurers!
Ginger Sesame Rye Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Makes about 24 cookies
Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 15-17 minutes | Cool: 5+ minutes
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened for about 20 minutes at room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup rye flour
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup finely diced crystalized ginger pieces
1 1/2 cups milk or bittersweet chocolate chips or hand-cut chunks (preferred)
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
Method
Preheat the oven to 375°F with the racks in the lower and upper third. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Place a wide, flat-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the rye flour and toast, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Immediately remove flour from pan and place into a large mixing bowl. Set aside to cool completely on counter or in the fridge for 5 minutes. Use the same pan to toast the sesame seeds for 3-5 minutes over medium heat; immediately remove seeds from pan and set aside.
Once rye flour is cool, whisk in all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
With an electric or stand mixer on medium speed, cream together butter and both sugars in a large bowl until fluffy and pale, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat thoroughly. Turn mixer to low, and slowly add flour, beating until just incorporated. Turn mixer off, add ginger, chocolate, and sesame seeds, and stir in gently.
Form dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake cookies until golden brown and just set in the center, 15-17 minutes. Check on the cookies progress and rotate pans from top to bottom and back to front halfway through; if browning faster, adjust baking time so as not to over bake.
Cool cookies on pans for 5 minutes, then use a thin metal spatula to remove to cooling rack. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
