published Oct 04, 2021, updated Sep 29, 2022 Homemade candies and other sweet treats are popular all over the world, and they make wonderful holiday gifts. Generally, homemade treats are inexpensive to make, or at the least, less expensive than buying them. Instead of giving traditional gifts this year, consider gifting tins of halva (think of it as a sweet fudge made with tahini), maamoul semolina cookies, some mung cake, this homemade sesame seed brittle or pistachio brittle to the favorite people on your gift list. They’ll thank you for it!
Sesame Seed Candy
Cuisine: Middle Eastern, European, Asian The world is full of deliciously sweet sesame seed treats! In Greece, the dessert is known as pasteli, and Greeks typically sweeten them with honey rather than sugar syrup. Korean sesame crunch is a popular treat in Asia, where they typically include nuts or dried fruit to the candy. In Persian cuisine, sesame brittle is usually flavored with saffron, which also gives it a gorgeous orange-yellow color. In Australia, Eastern Europe and the UK, they call the sweet treat sesame snaps. Which brings us to today’s recipe that hails from the Middle East… Simsemieh! Course:DessertPreparation:No bakeDifficulty: Easy 🥄 Description:Sesame snaps are typically made with white sesame seeds and are sweetened with either a simple sugar syrup or honey. Nuts and/or dried fruits are sometimes added, and flavorings can also be used. This recipe is beyond simple to make! You only need 4 ingredients, or 5, if you want a little extra flavor. No baking is needed, but hot sugar syrup is involved, so younger kids will need adult supervision.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Sesame seeds– White, black, or a combination of the two may be used White sugar– I haven’t tested the recipe with sugar substitutes, but I suspect that cup for cup sugar substitutes like monk fruit sugar or erythritol should work. Orange blossom water– As you might expect, this ingredient gives the sesame snaps a bright citrus flavor. For a different flavor, you could food grade rose water or even a beverage flavor syrup. Cinnamon– I like the warmth of ground cinnamon in the brittle but this ingredient is optional.
Optional Add-Ins For additional flavor and texture, add up to a total of 3/4 cup of add-ins. If you use more than that, you may have trouble spreading the mixture. You can add anything you’d like, including nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or other candies like M&Ms.
Chocolate dipped sesame snaps
Does chocolate dipped sesame candy sound good? I assure you, it is absolutely delicious! For the chocolate fans, I sometimes dip the bars in melted chocolate and zest some orange on top for an over-the-top, decadent treat!I don’t suggest completely covering the sesame brittle in chocolate, but you can melt some regular dark chocolate and dip one end of the bars into it.
Recipe notes for sesame seed candy
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