Olive Oil Cookies with Sesame Seeds

Only lightly roast the sesame seeds, leaving about half still white in color. Over-roasting results in a muddy, burnt sort of flavor.

Your dough should look exactly like this.

Fresh from the oven

Begin by lightly toasting 2/3 cup sesame seeds, taking care to not brown too much. Shaking the pan frequently helps. Set those aside on a plate to cool.

Butter 2 baking pans and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl mix together 2 cups self-rising flour and 2/3 cup sugar. In a smaller bowl whisk together 2 extra-large eggs, 1/2 cup olive oil and 2 t. almond extract. Now add the egg mixture to the flour/sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until you have a thick, oily dough. Note: the dough will be crumbly and that's just fine.

Form the dough into balls the size of a walnut (a little bigger is fine) and flatten just slightly with your palm. Roll or dredge them in the sesame seeds and place 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Sprinkle any leftover seeds across all the cookies.

Bake 25 minutes or until just firm and golden (again, not brown).

Unbelievably good with espresso or regular coffee. Another genius creation from Rozanne Gold.