By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- 4(73)
- Notes
- Read community notes
These heavenly bars are inspired by a much heavier sweet that I used to make at the dawn of my cooking: Sesame Dream Bars, from “Diet for a Small Planet” by Frances Moore Lappé. Coarsely grind the sesame seeds by pulsing them a few times in a food processor. Do not overprocess or you’ll get butter; some whole seeds are fine.
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Ingredients
Yield:18 to 20 squares
- 4ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
- ¼teaspoon salt
- 3½ounces (½ cup) raw brown sugar or organic sugar
- 6ounces (1½ cups) whole-wheat pastry flour, sifted
- 1ounce (¼ cup) whole-wheat pastry flour
- ½teaspoon baking powder
- 2eggs
- ½cup mild honey, like clover
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ounces (½ cup, firmly packed) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 to 2ounces (¼ to ½ cup) sesame seeds, coarsely ground
For the Cookie Base
For the Sesame-coconut Layer
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (19 servings)
159 calories; 8 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 50 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the cookie base. Butter a 9-by-13-inch pan and line with parchment. Butter the parchment.
Step
2
Cream the butter with the salt and sugar. Add the sifted flour and blend together. Using your hands, press out the dough over the bottom of the parchment-lined pan in an even layer. Using a fork, make holes all over the surface of the dough (this is called docking). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step
3
Bake the cookie base for 20 minutes, until it is just beginning to brown. Remove from the heat and cool for at least 5 minutes before topping.
Step
4
Sift together the flour and baking powder. Beat the eggs with an electric mixer or whisk until light and thick. Add the honey and vanilla and beat until well blended. Add the flour and baking powder and beat to blend. Add the coconut and sesame seeds and stir together. Spread in an even layer over the cookie base, scraping out every last bit with a rubber spatula. Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes, until the surface is just beginning to color. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before cutting into squares.
- Advance preparation This will keep for 3 or 4 days in a covered container.
Ratings
4
out of 5
73
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
Charlie K
Added in buckwheat flour instead of wholewheat flour for a deeper flavor. Bars are better after being cooled, cut and stored in a Tupperware overnight - topping is gooier. Use black sesame seeds for a richer flavor and do lessen the sugar to 2/3 or 3/4 c. 1 c is too much.
Sam
My sesame seeds took much longer than 3 pulses to reach the desired size.
I was very wary of the recipe, but the topping puffs up into a lovely bar--this was delicious and rich, so 1/18 of the pan is a huge serving. My cookie base was extremely thin, and barely covered the entire pan bottom. Consider making 1.5 or twice the base if you want a very thick bottom.
Priya
This was absolutely delicious. A deep and wholesome flavour is what I was looking for and that's what I got! I used half more of ground sesame seeds, maple syrup instead of honey, and I reduced the amount of sugar in the pastry by 0.5 ounces. I will make this again and again.
pater Vincent
I added dates to the mixture…very tasty.a bit sweeter.
Gabi
A great end of night sweet that’s complex but less indulgent than most deserts. I do think other commenters aren’t portraying it accurately, though. I was only able to cut it into 16 servings I’d consider them small. The bars aren’t so rich that you couldn’t eat a 2nd easily. They’re very nice but they distinctly taste like a healthy alternative, we aren’t fooling anybody here. I found the cookie base to be a little dry. I’d trust your eye and make it to crumbly tart crust texture, less flour
Danielle
- cookie base dough may seem scant but it’s just right - sesame seeds can be used whole with great results- white or unbleached sugar work just as well- avoid very dark honey- delicious!
Danielle
Do not need to sift pastry flourDo not need to grind sesame seedsDough seems scant but is just rightAvoid very dark/strong honeyDelicious!
Isaac
I had similar issues with the eggs. Not exactly what thick and light meant, and so ended up with a lighter layer on top from what I think was the bubbles
Alexa P
This was a bizarre attempt at a bar cookie. I’m not entirely sure what the meringue element was supposed to do for the cookie, as it settled into a strange, sugary layer of thin eggy meringue after baking. Perhaps mine turned out weird because I used a convection oven.
Priya
This was absolutely delicious. A deep and wholesome flavour is what I was looking for and that's what I got! I used half more of ground sesame seeds, maple syrup instead of honey, and I reduced the amount of sugar in the pastry by 0.5 ounces. I will make this again and again.
aplusb
This recipe is just plain wrong for a 9x13 pan. There is way, way too little filling. Would need to be doubled at the LEAST to match the height in the photo. Smaller pan or more filling absolutely.
Ginny
I made these to the letter, and the proportion of top layer to cookie base is much different than the photo. Mine resulted with about a 50/50 proportion. The flavor is great, but the pan size feels too large for the top layer. Next time I would double the top layer to make a thicker cookie.
Kara
Ginny, I agree. My bars were thin also, thinner than the picture. But it did taste good. Next time, I would add more butter to the base, and another egg or two to the top mixture.
Johnathan
the texture is what these bars are all about. try it for something different.
Sam
My sesame seeds took much longer than 3 pulses to reach the desired size.
I was very wary of the recipe, but the topping puffs up into a lovely bar--this was delicious and rich, so 1/18 of the pan is a huge serving. My cookie base was extremely thin, and barely covered the entire pan bottom. Consider making 1.5 or twice the base if you want a very thick bottom.
Charlie K
Added in buckwheat flour instead of wholewheat flour for a deeper flavor. Bars are better after being cooled, cut and stored in a Tupperware overnight - topping is gooier. Use black sesame seeds for a richer flavor and do lessen the sugar to 2/3 or 3/4 c. 1 c is too much.
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