Save My neighbor brought over a small jar of black sesame paste one afternoon, still wearing that slightly bewildered expression people get when they're unsure if you'll actually use an ingredient they've gifted you. I stared at it for three days before deciding the only honest thing to do was bake with it. What emerged from my oven was something I hadn't anticipated—a brownie so deeply complex it made me rethink everything I thought I knew about chocolate desserts. The earthy nuttiness didn't compete with the chocolate; it seemed to deepen it, like turning up the volume on a note you didn't know was already playing.
I brought a pan to a work potluck expecting polite compliments, but instead watched people reach for seconds before the brownies even made it onto the dessert table. Someone asked if it was some kind of tahini situation, and honestly, I loved that the black sesame paste created this little moment of curiosity. There's something generous about serving food that makes people pause and really taste it.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter (170 g): Start with cool butter and melt it gently over low heat so the sugars dissolve evenly without crystallizing.
- Granulated and brown sugar (300 g combined): The mix of both creates complexity—white sugar for brightness, brown for depth and moisture.
- Large eggs (2): Add them one at a time and whisk thoroughly; cold eggs won't incorporate properly and can make the batter grainy.
- Pure vanilla extract (1 tsp): This anchors the flavor and makes the chocolate taste more like itself.
- All-purpose flour (90 g): Weigh this if you can; spooning and leveling can pack in extra flour and make brownies tough.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder (45 g): Sift it with the flour to break up any lumps that will create bitter pockets of raw cocoa.
- Fine sea salt (1/2 tsp): This is non-negotiable—it brightens the chocolate and makes the sesame flavor sing.
- Dark chocolate, chopped (100 g): Choose something you actually enjoy eating; this isn't the place to use that baking chocolate you don't like.
- Black sesame paste (60 g): Look for the unsweetened tahini-style paste, not the sweetened spread; the difference in the final result is substantial.
- Granulated sugar for sesame swirl (25 g): This dissolves into the paste and keeps the swirl from being too heavy.
- Hot water (1 tbsp): This loosens the paste just enough to swirl without making it runny.
Instructions
- Set your stage:
- Preheat to 175°C (350°F) and line your 20x20 cm pan with parchment, letting the edges overhang so you can lift the whole thing out later without fighting with a spatula. This step matters more than it sounds.
- Melt and cool:
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, then stir in both sugars until they look dissolved and glossy. Let it sit for a minute or two to cool slightly—you don't want to scramble your eggs.
- Build the base:
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the next, then add the vanilla. The mixture should look smooth and shiny.
- Dry ingredients together:
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a separate bowl to remove lumps and aerate the cocoa. Fold this into your wet mixture gently—stop as soon as you don't see dry streaks.
- Add the chocolate:
- Stir in your chopped dark chocolate while everything is still warm; it'll soften slightly and become easier to distribute through the batter.
- Into the pan:
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Don't overwork it—just level it out.
- Make the sesame swirl:
- In a small bowl, whisk the black sesame paste with sugar and hot water until it's smooth and drizzle-able. If it's too thick, add water a few drops at a time.
- Swirl with intention:
- Dollop spoonfuls of the sesame mixture across the brownie batter, then drag a knife or skewer through it in gentle, random patterns to create those beautiful marbled streaks. Don't overwork this part—less is more.
- Bake to fudgy perfection:
- Bake for 28–32 minutes; the edges should look set while the center still jiggles slightly when you gently shake the pan. A toothpick poked in the middle should come out with moist crumbs clinging to it.
- Cool completely:
- Leave the brownies in the pan to cool all the way down—this helps them set and keeps them fudgy. Once cool, use those parchment overhangs to lift everything out and slice into 16 squares.
Save What stays with me most is that moment when you pull the pan out of the oven and the kitchen fills with that specific smell—chocolate and something earthy and strange and wonderful all at once. It's the kind of smell that makes people wander into the kitchen asking what you're making.
The Sesame Moment
Black sesame paste might seem like an unusual ingredient if you've never worked with it, but it's worth seeking out because it adds a dimension to chocolate that feels both ancient and modern at the same time. The flavor is nutty without being sweet, with an almost mineral earthiness that makes your palate perk up. Once you taste it swirled through a brownie, you'll understand why it's been a staple in East Asian desserts for so long.
Temperature and Timing
The difference between a fudgy brownie and a cakey one often comes down to just a few minutes in the oven, and this recipe walks that line beautifully if you trust the timing. The key is understanding that residual heat continues cooking the brownie even after it comes out, so you want the center to look barely set when you remove it from the oven. If you're using a new oven or unsure about its accuracy, start checking at 28 minutes and go from there.
Variations and Serving
These brownies are excellent on their own, but they're genuinely transcendent served slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream that melts into all those fudgy cracks. You can play with the swirl too—almond butter creates a milder, sweeter effect, while a drizzle of tahini adds complexity in a different direction. Some people like to toast sesame seeds and sprinkle them over the batter before baking for extra texture and nuttiness, which I'd recommend if you want that sesame flavor to be impossible to miss.
- If the black sesame paste seems too thick, loosen it gradually with hot water rather than all at once.
- These keep in an airtight container for four days and actually improve slightly as the flavors meld.
- You can freeze these individually wrapped for up to three months and thaw them at room temperature whenever you need a good brownie moment.
Save Baking with unfamiliar ingredients often leads to the best discoveries, and these brownies prove that sometimes the most interesting flavors come from taking a small risk. Make them, share them, and watch people taste something they didn't expect to love.
Recipe FAQ
- → What gives the brownie its nutty flavor?
The nutty flavor comes from the black sesame paste swirled into the chocolate batter, adding an earthy and rich contrast.
- → Can I substitute black sesame paste with another ingredient?
Yes, almond butter can be used as a substitute to provide a different nutty profile without overpowering the chocolate.
- → How can I ensure the brownies stay fudgy?
Bake them until the edges are set but the center still yields moist crumbs when tested with a toothpick.
- → What is the purpose of swirling the black sesame mixture?
Swirling creates a marbled effect that distributes the sesame’s earthy flavor and adds visual appeal to the brownies.
- → Are there any allergen concerns with these brownies?
They contain eggs, dairy, gluten, and sesame, so individuals with allergies to these ingredients should avoid or substitute carefully.