Black Sesame Chikki Cookies

and other updates

Chikki is an Indian sweet that is one of my all time favorites. It’s not particulary unique to India, as cultures all around the world have a version of brittle but it IS a big part of Indian snack / sweets culture. Chikki exists in a multitude of forms, one of my favorite versions is with peanuts, but the cornerstone of it is a hard brittle made of white sesame and/or nuts and jaggery - an unrefined Indian sugar. It’s purely addicting.

I’d love to say this cookie was outright inspired by my love of chikki but in reality it was inspired by the jar of black sesame paste in my pantry begging to be used. The chikki was a stroke of genius that followed from my desire to triple down on sesame. This cookie is one for the peanut butter cookie lovers as it’s got a similar vibe but with a delightful crunchy texture of a softer, easier to make, brittle mixed in throughout. I know it’s only May but you can’t tell me this is not a visually perfect cookie for halloween. Definitely one to bookmark for the future.

You can find the recipe at the bottom of this newsletter. But first:

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What I’m Eating

Sathya has developed an obsession recently with perfecting smash burgers and at eight months pregnant, it’s a match made in heaven. Over the weekend we picked up this griddle on a whim at Home Depot (we needed one ceiling hook and left with a cart full of goods). It now lives on our grill and has seriously leveled up Sat’s burger game. I can confidently say this is the best burger I’ve had at home. I’m always a fan of Lodge thanks to their quality products that can take a serious beating and this griddle is no exception. A great addition to our summer lineup.

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Nursery Prep

We’ve finally started to make a space for baby girl and cleared out the corner of our bedroom this weekend. It was previously acting as a gym but after striping down the wood paneling on the wall, changing out the curtains and adding in a rug we’ve officially got a nursery! My favorite part is the light we hung up in the corner. We picked this up in the souks in Marrakech over a year ago and had yet to find a space for it. It could not be more perfect for this corner. To keep it cord free I got these rechargeable LED bulbs to put inside. They’re extra perfect because they’re dimmable by remote so night feeds will have cozy low lighting.

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What I’m Loving

I’ve recently discovered the most beautiful hand made watercolors: Beam Paints.
From their About Me: ”Beam Paints is 100% Anishnaabe Kwe owned, and operating in our home reserve of M’Chigeeng First Nation … Lightfast pigments, gum arabic, and Manitoulin maple sap blend together to create a handmade saturated colour that is a joy to paint with. From thick stripes to fine washes and details, quality is evident in every stroke. Our watercolours are shaped into paintstones, our version of a half-pan, before being wrapped in beeswaxed cloth. Our pans are packaged in slices of cedar and birch offcuts from an Indigenous sustainable lumber operation.”

If you’re looking for a new art supply to get excited about and a small business to feel good supporting, I definitely recommend giving them a shot.

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Below this paywall you’ll find my recipe for Black Sesame Chikki Cookies. If you choose to be a paid subscriber to access, I thank you! Developing recipes (well) takes time and can be quite costly in ingredients. If you upgrade to a paid subscription, you will receive new recipes 2x per month (minimally).

If you choose not to, I minimally leave you with this stunning picture of the cookie batter. Should we frame it?