Published: · Modified: by Rebecca Pytell · This post may contain affiliate links.
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A popular candy recipe with many variations throughout Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Indian, and Asian cuisines. This 3-Ingredient Sesame Seed Crunch Candy is perfectly sweet, nutty, gluten-free, paleo, optionally vegan, and top-8 allergy-free! Just toasted sesame seeds, honey, and sugar! Easy to gift or munch!
I know there's going to be a few of you out there who still need to pick-up some Christmas gifts and with just a few days left, you're sweatin', aren't you? Have to fear! I have a super simple, last minute, edible gift idea that will be just perfect for you! You know I'd never leave you hanging and one can never have too many edible gift ideas to choose from! Since you may have already overdosed on cookies, Christmas candy is the next best thing and this sesame seed crunch candy is good ALL year-round!
You may have heard of sesame candy before. The most well known is the Greek version, Pasteli, which is just sesame seeds and honey cut into chewy bars. Other versions around Asia and the Middle East come in crunchy forms, similar to brittle. My version is the crunchy kind. Still just sesame seeds and honey (or bee-free honey for the vegans), and some sugar (or my favorite). The sugar is what makes it crunchy and no longer chewy; so it's like a nutty hard candy!
It's super easy to make (I made it in my dorm last year as the edible gift I gave to my dad for Christmas). He told me how obsessed he was with this sesame candy he had gotten from an Asian market and wanted to me somehow make it myself. I did some Googling research and then just kind of winged it myself, without ever actually tasting the candy. Surprisingly, not difficult, but o so addicting!
Obviously I love all things sesame. They "nuttiest" seed and glorious ingredient of tahini. By toasting the raw sesame seeds first for this candy recipe, you get a super deep and rich sesame flavor with that subtle sweetness of the honey. It's a beautiful earthy combination of flavors that's hard to describe. I'm so glad my dad introduced me to the combination as it is totally a winner! And don't worry, since I lean toward all things vegan, we can whip this up with some vegan honey and it works just as well!
Homemade candy always sounds intimidating to people. Thinking they'll need to get out some hefty candy thermometer or do some intricate calculations. Not here, not with this sesame seed candy! You're just toasting some sesame seeds, boiling some honey on the stove, mixing them together, adding some sugar, and then pouring into a pan to cool off and harden. Then you get to go crazy and break (or cut) pieces off, just like the peppermint bark!
More Homemade Candy Recipes:
- 3-Ingredient Maple Tahini Freezer Fudge
- 4-Ingredient Homemade Mounds Bars
- Irish Potato Candy
- Homemade Vegan Peppermint Bark
- Sunflower Seed Brittle
- Vegan Cream Cheese Mints
3-Ingredient Sesame Seed Crunch Candy
3-Ingredient Sesame Seed Crunch Candy (Gluten-Free)
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5 from 2 reviews
A popular candy recipe with many variations throughout Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Indian, and Asian cuisines. This 3-Ingredient Sesame Seed Crunch Candy is perfectly sweet, nutty, gluten-free, paleo, optionally vegan, and top-8 allergy-free! Just toasted sesame seeds, honey, and sugar! Easy to gift or munch!
- Author: Rebecca Pytell
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: Varies
- Category: Dessert, Snack
- Cuisine: Asian, Middle Eastern
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 Cup Raw White Sesame Seeds (or pre-toasted)
- 1 Cup Honey (or Bee-Free Honey)
- ½ Cup Erythritol
Instructions
- In a large greased pot, bring the honey (or vegan honey) and erythritol to a boil for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, toast the raw sesame seeds in a saute pan for a few minutes until golden brown, if using raw seeds (otherwise, skip this step).
- Once the honey pot is bubbling and the seeds are toasted, add the seeds to the honey mixture and boil again to thicken, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Carefully pour the hot candy mixture into a greased parchment paper lined baking dish or cookie sheet in a thin layer.
- Allow to cool at room temperature before cutting into squares, bars, or broken off pieces.
Let me tell you, this sesame seed crunch candy smells delicious! When I made this ahead of time for the holidays and had to store it in my dorm bedroom, I had to (got to) breathe in this lovely nutty sweetness all day. No complaints though, that was a smell I was glad to have around! So if you have 15 minutes to spare and you still have a few "surprise" people on your list to find a gift for, I think this sesame candy could be just the thing you need!
So tell me:
+ Have you ever had any version of sesame seed candy/brittle before? If not, now is the time! It's one of those delicacies that is perfect to just suck on and beat that sweet craving with!
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