Sweet potato sesame cookies are the answer to the "I want something different" baking thought. They're soft and chewy in the center, lightly crisp around the edges, and rolled in sesame seeds for a nutty crunch in every bite.
What makes them special is the sweet potato, which adds a subtle earthiness and natural sweetness that you just don't get from a regular cookie.
Growing up, there was a Chinese restaurant we went to all the time, and they always had these little sesame balls that were super chewy, lightly sweet, and coated in sesame seeds. I still think about them to this day, so I did what any food-obsessed person does and turned that memory into a cookie. These are inspired by those little bites, but made bigger, butterier, and with sweet potato worked right into the dough.
The sweet potato adds so much to this recipe, keeping the cookies soft for days, adding a gentle sweetness, and giving the dough this perfect orange hue. If you love a unique cookie that still feels totally familiar, you're going to love these.
More cookies inspired by my childhood memories:
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Why We Love It!
- Soft and chewy for days - The sweet potato keeps these cookies incredibly moist. They don't dry out like most cookies do, and the texture stays just as good on day four as it was on day one.
- Unique but approachable - The ingredient list is simple and mostly pantry staples. But the flavor combination is interesting enough to make people stop and ask for the recipe every single time.
- Toasty sesame crunch - Rolling the dough balls through sesame seeds before baking gives every bite a satisfying crunch and a nutty, toasty flavor that pairs so well with the sweet potato.
Ingredients
- Sweet potato. You want this cooked and either very well mashed (no chunks!) or blended until completely smooth. Any chunks left in the dough will affect the texture of the cookie.
- Butter. Room temperature unsalted butter is key here. It needs to cream properly with the sugars to give the cookies that soft, chewy base.
- Sugars. Both light brown sugar and granulated sugar are used. The brown sugar adds a subtle caramel depth, while the granulated sugar helps the edges get slightly crisp.
- Egg yolks. Just the yolks! This keeps the cookies extra rich and chewy without adding too much liquid to the dough.
- Sesame seeds. Raw sesame seeds are used for rolling and they get a light roast during the baking process.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use toasted sesame seeds instead of raw sesame seeds for an extra boost of nutty flavor. You can also use black sesame seeds (or a mix of both)!
- Swap the light brown sugar for dark brown sugar for a deeper, more molasses-forward flavor.
- Add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or a pinch of five-spice powder to the dough for a warmer flavor profile.
- Stir ½ cup of chopped white chocolate into the dough, it pairs beautifully with sweet potato.
📸 Step By Step Overview
This is a quick visual overview. See the recipe card for full, detailed instructions.
- Step 1: Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
- Step 2: Add the egg yolks and sweet potato and mix to combine.
- Step 3: Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Step 4: Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to get flush scoops of dough.
- Step 5: Drop into a bowl of sesame seeds and gently roll to coat.
- Step 6: Add 6 at a time to a baking sheet and bake until set.
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Tips for Success
- Use a digital kitchen scale to measure the flour for the most accurate results. If you're using measuring cups, use the fluff, spoon, and level method - never scoop directly from the bag.
- Make sure your butter and egg yolks are at room temperature. Cold butter won't cream properly, and the whole texture of the cookie depends on that creaming step.
- Don't overmix once the flour goes in. Mix until it's almost combined, then finish with a spatula. Overmixing builds too much gluten and makes the cookies tough.
- For even cookies, use a cookie scoop for portioning. My cookie butter cookies use the same 3-tablespoon scoop size, so they bake in the same amount of time if you want to do a double batch of both!
- Bake one sheet at a time and pull the cookies when the centers still look underdone. They'll finish setting on the hot pan.
- Slam the pan on the counter a few times when they come out of the oven. This helps make them super flat and even.
Testing Notes
- I worked this base recipe off of my pumpkin cookies since it contained a similar style of wet ingredient. The roasted sweet potato has far less water and an increased starch content so I realized we didn't actually need to squeeze/pat any moisture out of it (unlike in the pumpkin cookies).
- I tested 4 different variations of rest/chill time and bake time: bake right away for 10, bake right away for 12 minutes, refrigerate for 30 minutes and bake for 12 minutes, refrigerate for 1 hour and bake for 15 minutes.
- Four taste testers agreed on the first option as their favorite, which is great since it's the quickest version!
- I also tested these with toasted sesame seeds, which added an even more robust sesame flavor, but felt that it would be slightly too much for most people.
Common Questions
You can, but make sure it's plain with no added sugar or spices. You'll also want to pat these dry with paper towels (after mashing) to remove any excess liquid it holds onto from the canning process.
I suggest baking as it gives the most concentrated flavor (poke some holes and bake at 400°F for 45-60 minutes) and has the least amount of moisture.
Egg yolks add richness and fat without adding extra liquid. Using whole eggs would add too much moisture to the dough, which is already working with a wet ingredient (the sweet potato). Yolks only give you that chewier, richer cookie texture.
This means too much flour was added. These cookies should spread without any extra help, so be sure to use a digital scale to measure the flour or spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off.
Yes! Scoop and roll the dough balls in sesame seeds, then refrigerate on a covered baking sheet for up to 48 hours. Bake straight from the fridge, adding 1-2 minutes to the bake time.
Storage
Store the cookies uncovered at room temperature for up to five days. The sweet potato in the dough keeps them soft and moist longer than most cookies, so you actually don’t want to cover them or they’ll get too soft.
To freeze, allow the cookies to cool completely, then transfer to a zip-top bag with a piece of parchment between layers. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw at room temperature, uncovered.
You can also freeze the raw dough balls (after rolling in sesame seeds). Flash-freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 30 minutes, then transfer to a zip-top bag. Bake from frozen at 350°F, adding 2-3 minutes to the bake time.
General Tid Bits
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
📖Recipe
Sweet Potato Sesame Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer
- Large sheet pan
- 3-tablespoon cookie scoop
Ingredients
- ½ cup cooked sweet potato blended/mashed
- 1¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup raw sesame seeds for rolling
Instructions
- Before beginning, be sure your cooked sweet potato is either VERY mashed with no chunks, or blended until smooth.½ cup cooked sweet potato
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.1¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (with paddle attachment), or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides.¾ cup unsalted butter, ⅔ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add the egg yolks, vanilla, and sweet potato and mix on medium speed until combined, about one minute.2 large egg yolks, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the flour mixture and mix until the flour is almost combined. Use a rubber spatula to finish folding in any excess flour around the edges of the bowl.
- Measure out 3 tablespoon-sized scoops of dough, then roll them through the sesame seeds and place them on the prepared pan. I bake 6 cookies per large sheet, one sheet at a time.½ cup raw sesame seeds
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, and smack the pan on the counter a few times after you pull them out of the oven. Cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
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