Sesame Candy Crunch

What Is Sesame Candy?

Sesame candy is an incredibly sweet and delicious treat made from sugar or honey and sesame seeds. The sesame crunch mixture is pressed into a bar, rolled into a sheet, or shaped into a ball.

Sesame sweets are popular in the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia. It is believed that the origin of sesame seed candy is from Ancient Greek cuisine, where similar foods have been documented.

Depending on the region you are in, you will find loads of variations on these treats. For example, in Cyprus and Greece, they are called pasteli. This version is made with honey and might have additional flavors like lemon, cinnamon or more nuts.

In Turkey, these sesame candies are one of the Turkish desserts served during Ramadan Bayram Eid. Just like baklava and Turkish delight, these are paired with Turkish coffee.

Why We Like This Recipe

• You only need 2 ingredients to make these sesame candies. This makes it convenient, quick, and budget-friendly. And, you probably already have sugar (or a sugar substitute) in your pantry.
• No need for a candy thermometer to make this sesame candy recipe.
• They keep well for several weeks. In fact, when stored in an airtight container, ours lasted a couple of months. Just make sure to keep them away from direct sunlight, heat sources, and oxygen.
• It is a gluten-free and vegan recipe. These sesame bars are completely free of any gluten-containing cereal grains and don't contain any animal products. Now, of course, if you decide to use honey, your candy will no longer be vegan, however, they can still be vegetarian.
• Makes the perfect edible gift. You can store them in little re-usable containers or gift bags. They will make the perfect birthday snack, Christmas edible, or Valentine’s day picnic treat.

About the ingredients

Sesame seeds: They are easy to find, very affordable, and give the sesame seed bars an interesting flavor and texture. And, you can even use black sesame seeds (or a combination of both) if you’d like. We often use them to top pastries like pide bread and Turkish borek. 

Sesame seeds contain loads of healthy oils, are a pretty good source of fiber, and are a surprisingly good source of plant-based proteins (source). 

Sugar: We use granulated sugar in this sesame seed candy recipe, but you can use other alternatives like regular honey or vegan honey. As long as your substitute can be melted and reset on its own, you can use it! But you will need to add in erythritol to give the candies that crunchy texture. Otherwise, they will be soft and chewy, not crunchy.

Variations

Because this sesame brittle recipe is so simple and only uses two basic ingredients, it also makes it extremely versatile.

• You can substitute the sugar with honey instead. Then you are basically making this snacks’ Greek version called pasteli. And, because it is made without any refined sugars, it has a much softer and chewier texture and consistency.
• Add some delicious spices if you want more aroma in your sesame candy. Some of our favorites include ginger, cinnamon, or nutmeg. It will allow you to essentially create multiple types of sesame seed snacks by playing around with the different flavors or flavor combinations.
• Adding nuts like walnuts, almonds or pistachios would be another great option if you want to get more creative.
• You can also of course use black sesame seeds instead of white ones. While white sesame seeds are more traditional, black ones (or when using a combination of both) do create an interesting and sweet treat!

How To Make The Recipe

This 2-ingredient sesame dessert is quick, easy, and can keep for weeks if stored correctly! You can also add a ton of spices or nuts to create varying flavor profiles or create a delicious range of flavors for your table.

1. Prepare the sesame seeds. Toast the raw sesame seeds in a non-stick pan for about 6-8 minutes or until a beautiful golden brown. This helps them release their nutty flavor and aroma. Place them in a bowl and set aside until needed.

2. Melt the sugar. Place the sugar into a large pan over medium heat. Allow the sugar to melt while swirling the pan gently. Use a clean heat-proof spatula to fold the unmelted sugar into the melted parts. Continue this process until all of the sugar has been melted.

Your sugar syrup should also develop color as it melts. It will be caramelized enough when it has an amber color.

3. Add the sesame seeds. Once the sugar has completely melted and has reached the desired color, remove it from the heat and add the toasted sesame seeds. Stir the sesame seeds into the syrup using the spatula until they are evenly distributed.

4. Set the sesame seed candy. Pour the caramelized sesame seeds onto a parchment paper or silicone mat. Spread it into a relatively even layer. Add another sheet of parchment paper (or silicone mar) over the sesame seeds.

5. Use a rolling pin to level the mixture and make the entire sheet uniform in thickness.

6. While the mixture is still hot, slice it using a very sharp knife. You can slice them into squares, rectangles, or triangles.
7. Allow the mixture to set completely. Once the sesame snaps have hardened, store them in jars or air-tight containers at room temperature for several weeks.

Expert Tips

• Do not over-toast your sesame seeds. When heated for too long, they develop a very bitter flavor instead of the nice nutty one they should be giving.
• You can also buy pre-toasted sesame seeds from some stores. In this case, you don’t have to toast them again. They will already have a nutty flavor.
• You can toast sesame seeds in the oven too. Put them on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for a few minutes or until golden brown at 350 F/180 C.
• The best way to prevent sugar crystals from forming while the sugar is melting is to use our swirling method mentioned above. This is a gentle way to help all the granules melt without agitating the crystals too much.
• If you see crystals forming on the sides of the pan that you cannot get away from, use this trick. Fill a cup with boiling water. Then, using a pastry brush, brush over the sides where the crystals are forming. This gently melts them and reintroduces them back into the mixture.
• You have to slice the sesame candies while the sheet is still warm. Once they harden, it becomes more difficult to get clean slices. And, once it has completely cooled, it will take a lot of effort to prevent them from simply breaking into random pieces.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Turkish Sweets

• Turkish Flour Halva
• Sekerpare
• Gullac
• Homemade Baklava

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