Buttery Sesame Sticks |Cooking With Amanda

I love the buttery flavor of these sesame sticks. They're the perfect little nibble before a meal, especially when you have company over for dinner. You can make these ahead by storing them in an airtight container to save you time in the kitchen right before a dinner party.

When we were visiting family in Saintes, about a 5 hour drive south of Paris, we would have apéritifs with nuts and little crackers similar to these buttery sesame sticks before the evening meal. Even little starters like these were delicious, although simple, but they remind me of how important it is to savor time with family. Each year we see little reminders that we are all getting a little older. Life's too short to waste it on mediocre starters, don't you think?

The dough for these sticks is a simple pie crust recipe, made from scratch using a big bowl with a potato masher or your food processor. The dough will need to be refrigerated for two hours or until it is completely chilled and it does take some time to scoop out the dough and roll these cute little sticks but they're worth it. Truly.

You can easily make larger sesame sticks if you want, but be sure to double the recipe.

These would make a good snack to pack in lunches but I think they're best shared with family and friends before a meal. Pass a dish of these around while you catch up and swap funny stories, maybe even while you meet some new people and welcome them into your circle of friends. If you like pie crust, you'll really love these sesame sticks.

Appetizers whet your appetite for any beautiful meal. They'd be fantastic before grilled stuffed zucchini with shrimp in summer, or Normandy chicken in winter.

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Buttery Sesame Sticks Recipe

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Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 teaspoon salt
15 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
6 tablespoons ice water, more as needed
3/4 cup sesame seeds

Directions

In the bowl of your food processor add flour and salt. Pulse to mix.
Add butter in four batches, pulsing to mix after each addition. After all the butter is added, mix until the dough looks like little crumbs.
Now add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each tablespoon for 2-3 seconds.
The dough will begin to form a ball and pull together. For me, 6 tablespoons is the right amount. Depending on the humidity in your area, you may need more or less.
Dump dough onto plastic wrap, enough to wrap around the dough with no parts exposed to the air.
Touching the dough as little as possible, form a ball and wrap tightly.
Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the dough is completely chilled.
Remove the dough from the fridge and let it warm up just a bit.
Gather your sesame seeds and place them on a plate with an edge.
You'll need a clean surface to lay your sesame sticks.
Prepare two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper and preheat your oven to 400°F.
Using a 1/4 teaspoon, scoop out dough.
Gently roll dough into a stick and roll in sesame seeds. Roll in between your hands a few times to help press the seeds in and push in the tips of the dough so each stick looks almost like a rectangle. If you have a tapered tip, the ends will burn when you bake them.
Fill the baking sheet with sesame sticks leaving at least 1/2-inch in between.
Bake for 9-13 minutes, or until sesame sticks begin to show the slightest golden brown color in places.
Store in an airtight container.