Black Sesame Seed Paciencia

I think this is my third or fourth blog post about the Philippine cookies called Paciencia. I maybe a bit obsessed with these tiny crunchy cookies inherited from the Spanish, of course. It's the smooth shiny top I've wanted to replicate but is elusive to me so far. Oh, well, there's always a fifth or sixth time for trying.

For this paciencia baking adventure I added ground black sesame seeds to half a recipe adapted from Recipes of the Philippines handbook omitting the baking powder and reduced the amount of sugar. I added 2 tablespoons very thick blackcurrant sauce into another half recipe. The blackcurrant flavor is strong, not just a hint and the sesame seed is not only delicious, it's also nutritious. One website says consuming black sesame seeds regularly may restore the color of graying hair; I wonder if it's true. There's no harm in trying I suppose. Anyway, I love both flavors, really great for afternoon munchies with a cup of milky English breakfast tea.

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