Step 1

Gather all the ingredients.

Step 2

Cut the butter into small cubes and keep them refrigerated until ready to use (I cut on parchment paper and wrap up the butter for easy transfer.).

Step 3

In the food processor, combine the flour, almond meal, sugar, and salt. If you don’t have a food processor, you can simply use a bowl to mix all the ingredients.

Step 4

If you want your sesame seeds to be of fine texture, add them now. If you prefer to keep the original shape of sesame seeds, add them with egg yolk later on.

Step 5

Take out the butter from the refrigerator and mix together. If you use a regular bowl to mix, use a dough/pastry blender to combine the butter into the dry ingredients.

Step 6

Lastly, add egg yolk.

Step 7

If the food processor is small (like mine) and it doesn’t look like it’s mixed completely, take it out and mix well with a silicone spatula.

Step 8

Form the dough into a ball and cut in half.

Step 9

Roll it to a log approximately 2” (5 cm) across. For me, it’s easier to work when the dough is wrapped in plastic wrap. While rolling, unwrap some parts of plastic wrap then roll again. Form a nice shape. I wasn't paying attention so my log is flat on one side...

Step 10

Wrap the logs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least an hour (you can put them in the freezer to speed up the process as well).

Step 11

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Remove the dough from plastic wrap and cut into discs about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick (if you prefer thicker cookies, cut into discs about ½ inch (1.3 cm) and you get 20 cookies total).

Step 12

Place them on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. If you are baking in batches, make sure to keep the second batch in the refrigerator to chill until baking.

Step 13

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 14

Store cookies in an airtight container. Enjoy the cookies within 3 days while they are best, or keep them in the freezer for up to a month.