Tag: Gold Medal Flour Contest

Open Sesame Cookies

Perfectly baked. Perfect flavor. These Open Sesame Cookies are fresh from the archives. They won at the Chicago area fair, DuPage County Fair, back in 2013. We still talk about these cookies.

Open Sesame Cookies 2

Brown Butter in Dough and Frosting

These cookies are perfection. And, they are easy to make. If we can do it, you can too.

You start by browning your butter with toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds. We recommend Land O’Lakes butter. Soon, you’ll be savoring the butter’s nutty, rich aroma.

Open Sesame Cookies Step 1

The reason people flip for brown butter is simple. It is flipping amazing! No other way to describe it.

Brown butter

The dough comes together great once you have that done. Sifting the flour is a key step.  You are adding air to the flour. As a result, the dough is easier to mix and you get a delicateness to the cookie, which is delightful.

Frosting: the icing on these Open Sesame Cookies will wow your senses.

Open Sesame Cookies 3

The winner, Gayle Willard, had a history of baking for a Chicago test kitchen. She nailed her presentation with this recipe. I remember the judges specifically noting the ideal browning and consistent size of the cookies.

Bottom of a cookie

Be careful not to overbake these, which is easy to do, with this cookie’s richness. If  you nail the bake time, you will have a kudos-worthy cookie too.

This is the cookie I make for people don’t like chocolate. I know a few of them. Be sure to put these Open Sesame Cookies on your “must make” list. They are outstanding!

-Cyndi

p.s. If you’re looking for more recipes with brown butter, check out these cashew ones and this nutty pie.

Key Lime Delights

These Key Lime Delights are absolutely delight-ful! If you love citrus as much as we do, this best cookie recipe is for you!

Key Lime Delights Closeup

The citrus flavor pops when you bite into them, making them distinct and memorable.

Best Cookie Winner

Key lime delights are a blue ribbon winning creation from the 2013 Indiana State Fair, created by entrant and home baker Rebecca Burgardt.

Best Cookie Contest Winner

In the cookie dough itself, there is butter, of course, along with cream cheese, and both grated key lime peel and fresh key lime juice, among other ingredients. The cream cheese combined with the butter gives the cookie a richness you will love. A touch of green food coloring gives a hint of the cookie’s citrus flavor.

The powdered sugar topping adds another element of richness and color to these award-winning key lime delights. The topping features finely chopped dried pineapple and mango, as well as more juice and lime peel. The topping’s viscosity can be thick and frosting-like. However, you could add extra fresh key lime juice to thin it out to your preferred consistency.

Key Lime Delights 1

During our recipe run through in the kitchen, we absolutely fell in LOVE with these cookies. You’re sure to flip over them too. Big citrus fan? Do a search for “citrus” on our main blog page and find a treasure trove of citrus sweet treats.

-Cyndi