Sesame Cookies (Banh Me)

These crisp little sesame cookies have nothing to do with the Vietnamese sandwich (that is bánh mì, with the long second i). Bánh mè is the Vietnamese name for a small sesame cookie, and the recipe runs a classic two-step sesame play: most of the toasted seeds get ground into the flour for nutty body, and the reserved quarter cup gets pressed onto each cookie before baking for a glossy, dimpled crunchy top.

Toasting the sesame seeds first matters more than you’d think. Raw sesame tastes bland and slightly grassy; toasted sesame turns deep, almost popcorn-buttery. Spread on a sheet pan and bake at 325°F (165°C) for 6 to 8 minutes, shaking once, until they smell warm and fragrant.

Freezing the shaped cookies for 20 minutes before baking is a quiet trick that does big work. Cold dough holds the shape under heat instead of spreading thin, and the sesame seeds stick to the egg wash without sliding off in the oven.

The egg-yolk wash gives these their characteristic Asian-bakery sheen. Don’t skip it; an unwashed cookie looks dull and pale.

Pro Tips

• Grind the sesame in short pulses with a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. Over-grinding turns it to oily paste; you want coarse, sandy crumbs.
• Use a kitchen scale if you have one. Tablespoon-sized balls vary; 12-gram balls all bake the same.
• Don’t overload the cookie sheets. Three inches between cookies sounds like a lot, but the dough does spread.
• Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack. Hot cookies break when moved early.

Variations

• Swap half the white sesame for black sesame seeds for a striking two-tone cookie.
• Add 1 teaspoon of Chinese five-spice powder to the dough for warm anise and cinnamon notes.
• Drizzle melted dark chocolate over half of each cooled cookie for a Vietnamese-bakery upgrade.