Credit: Alex Lau

Toasted Sesame Shortbread

Name: Toasted Sesame Shortbread
Prep time: 20 s
Cook time: 17 s
Total time: 127 s
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Cantonese
Ingredients: Unsalted butter; Granulated sugar; Dark brown sugar; Kosher salt; Large egg; Toasted sesame oil; All purpose flour; Demerara sugar; White sesame seeds; Black sesame seeds

23 Apr 2025

Calvin Eng

Chef

Difficulty

Easy

Total Time

2H 7MIN

Cuisine

Cantonese

Ingredients

Unsalted butter: 1 cup (cubed, tempered)

Granulated sugar: 100 g

Dark brown sugar: 53 g (packed)

Kosher salt: 1.5 g

Large egg: 1 (separated)

Toasted sesame oil: 14 g

All purpose flour: 270 g

Demerara sugar: 2 tbsp (for rolling)

White sesame seeds: 2 tbsp (toasted, for rolling)

Black sesame seeds: 2 tbsp (toasted, for rolling)

I have a soft spot for sesame-flavored Chinese treats: nutty jian dui, fried sesame balls filled with sticky, jammy lotus seed paste or red bean paste; chewy steamed black sesame rolls plucked from the rolling carts at dim sum halls; brittle sesame peanut candy that almost glues your mouth shut and yanks your cavities out in an oddly satisfying way. But most of the time when I crave that sesame flavor, I don’t really feel like frying or steaming or making candy. So here’s my shortcut, a buttery, not-too-sweet, sesame-forward shortbread cookie. Tender and delicate, these cookies are rolled in a sugary, toasty black-and-white sesame seed mix to create a crunchy, sparkly crust—not traditional but still satisfying that sesame craving.

Tip: These shortbread logs can be made ahead and stored, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 1 week in the fridge or up to 1 month in the freezer. Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

How to make Toasted Sesame Shortbread

01.

Make the Dough

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the egg yolk and sesame oil. Mix on low speed until just blended.
Add the flour and beat on low until fully incorporated, 30–45 seconds.
Scrape down the bowl once more.

02.

Shape and Chill the Dough

Divide the dough in half and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap.
Shape each into a log about 6 inches (15cm) long and 2 inches (5cm) in diameter.
Wrap tightly and roll gently to smooth the shape.
Chill until firm, about 1½ hours.

03.

Preheat and Prepare

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the demerara sugar with the white and black sesame seeds.
Beat the egg white in a separate small bowl.

04.

Coat the Dough Logs

Unwrap a dough log and brush the exterior with egg white.
Roll in the sesame-sugar mixture until evenly coated, packing on any bare spots.
Repeat with the second log.

05.

Slice and Arrange

Slice the logs crosswise into 1cm-thick cookies (you should have about 36).
Arrange on the baking sheets about 1cm apart.

06.

Bake

Bake for 15–17 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the bottoms are lightly golden.
Cool slightly on the pans before serving.

23 Apr 2025

The Chef

Brooklyn-born, Chinese American Eng sees his work as a chef and restaurant owner as part of a greater goal: to nurture a new wave of Cantonese cooking in the US. In his own words, Eng “grew up trying to be as American as possible,” but later embraced his Cantonese heritage and now hopes to inspire the next generation of Chinese American chefs.

His culinary career began making sandwiches behind the counter at his friend’s family deli after high school. On graduating in culinary arts in 2015, he sought out experiences that would teach him not just about cooking but about the whole business of running a restaurant. A job at fast-casual chain Dig was followed by a stint at popular Dim Sum operation Nom Wah Nolita, and then a Chef de Cuisine position at Taiwanese American restaurant Win Son. In 2021, he was ready to open his own place, the trendy and highly acclaimed Bonnie’s.

Eng was a 2022 James Beard Emerging Chef nominee and was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs for 2022. He then made the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 list and was a 2023 James Beard Best Chef: New York State semifinalist and StarChefs Rising Star.

Restaurants

Eng opened Bonnie’s in 2021, at just 27 years of age, having dreamed of running his own restaurant since he was a teenager. The name is his mother’s nickname, and the whole place is a homage to her home cooking and his Cantonese American upbringing, complete with visits to his grandparents in Manhattan’s Chinatown where he would browse the street stalls and eat out in the restaurants.

A sign over the door says, “Cantonese American” and although Eng has never been professionally trained in a Chinese kitchen, he wants to make it clear that the flavors, ideas, and philosophy are all Cantonese, albeit complemented by influences from the US and elsewhere.

As soon as it opened, Bonnie’s was instantly the place to be for foodwise New Yorkers, and it has since received rave reviews in numerous publications, from Brooklyn Magazine and Grub Street to The New York Times and The New Yorker, not forgetting The Wall Street Journal and even the South China Morning Post. In 2022, it was included in best new restaurant lists in both Esquire and Bon Appetit, while Eater named Bonnie’s its Best Restaurant for the End of the World.

Recipes and dishes

Eng describes his take on Cantonese cuisine as “umami and savory-forward, low acid, low heat, and seafood-forward.” One of his most popular dishes is a delicious take on cacio e pepe, in which the nearly cooked noodles are stir-fired in a butter of garlic and fermented tofu. He is also known for playful dishes like his Char Siu McRib, and delicate mashups like his fish and shrimp wontons en brodo. The most complex and labor-intensive dish on the menu at Bonnie’s is Yeung Yu Sang Choi Bao, made by deboning a rainbow trout then stuffing it with a mousse made from the fish along with shrimps, water chestnuts, garlic, and ginger, then pan-frying and recomposing it to look like a whole fish. It's a dish Eng remembers well from his childhood in Brooklyn, as it would take his mom and aunt a full day to prepare it, but to his knowledge it is not served at any other restaurant in the US.

Shortly after Bonnie’s opened, Eng was interviewed on TV by CBS New York and New York Live. He has appeared in various videos on YouTube and Buzzfeed, and his recipes have featured in Bon Appetit, Star Chefs, Edible Brooklyn, and Munchies.

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