Black Sesame Paste

I love tahini in pretty much anything, so it’s no surprise that I also love black sesame seeds. As the weather turns cooler, I start to crave comfort foods… like black sesame lattes! I find black sesame seeds especially satisfying, and adding it to warm frothy milk (or non-dairy alternative) feels really cozy. Making a batch of this black sesame paste makes it really easy to add a slightly sweet and savory, toasty, nutty flavor to dishes. Besides the latte, I like adding this to a chia pudding, oatmeal, and rice porridge. Two notes to keep in mind:

1. I suggest NOT cutting this recipe since most blenders have a hard time making a smooth paste from small quantities.

2. If you have a high-power blender like a Vitamix, this would be the recipe to use it. If not, it will still work, but the final paste may end up a little less smooth. Enjoy!

Ingredients

½ cup medjool dates, pitted (about 8-10 dates)

1 cup warm water

1 cup black sesame seeds

1 tbsp agave syrup (you can substitute a sweetener of your choice)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp kosher salt

Directions

1. In a medium size bowl, soak the dates in the warm water. Let them soak until step 4.

2. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the sesame seeds and toast for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly. Since they are black, it’s hard to tell when they are done. I wait until I get a toasty smell and listen for when they start to make a popping sound. Once they are toasted, transfer them to a shallow plate and allow them to cool to room temperature. Make sure not to cool them in the skillet because the residual heat may burn them.

3. After they cool down, blend the sesame seeds in a high-power blender until they completely break down, and form a gritty paste.

4. Add the soaked dates and blend again until the dates are broken down and mixed in well with the sesame seeds.

5. Add the water that the dates were soaked in, agave, vanilla extract, and salt. Blend until you get a smooth, uniform paste. You may need to scrape the mix down occasionally during this process.

6. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge.