Sesame praline was one of my favourite childhood treats, so when I came across a Jamie Oliver recipe a few years ago, I couldn’t resist trying to make them at home.
It was an unmitigated disaster. The burnt caramel and sesame seeds bubbled over the top of the pan, smoking out the kitchen and sticking to the hob like concrete.
It’s taken me several years to build up the nerve for a second attempt, and this time I made sure I had Pete with me. As I mentioned previously, he’s now in charge of hot sugar in our family – my nerves aren’t up to it anymore.
If you do decide to try this, please be careful. It’s quite a large quantity of molten sugar and it needs to be cooked in a large diameter pot that won’t overflow. Pete has asked me to emphasize that the pot needs to be wide rather than tall and skinny.
And don’t take your eyes off the sugar, as it can burn in a heartbeat.
- 500g white sugar
- 200ml water
- 200g white sesame seeds
1. Lightly oil a large heatproof surface – I used the silicone baking mat that Davey gave me, but Jamie Oliver suggests using an oiled non-stick tray in his recipe.
2. In a large pot (we used a stainless steel sauté pan), bring the sugar and water to boil over a low heat, whisking to combine. The aim is to have all the sugar crystals dissolved before the mixture comes to a boil.
3. Once the mixture starts simmering, stop stirring, but keep an eye on the pot, swirling it frequently to ensure it cooks evenly. Keep adjusting the heat as necessary to keep it at a low bubble. Be patient, this stage can take quite a few minutes, depending on your hob and your pan.
4. As soon as the mixture starts to turn a light golden colour, turn the heat down, add all the sesame seeds and stir to combine. It’s hard to tell from the photo below, but the sugar syrup was a pale brown before the white sesame seeds went into it.
5. Continue cooking gently until the mixture darkens and the sesame seeds are lightly toasted. Resist the urge to put your fingers anywhere near the boiling hot sugar lava!
6. Working quickly (it helps to have two sets of hands here), pour the praline onto the prepared surface and spread it out as thinly as possible with an oiled palette knife. You’ll only get a few seconds to do this. Don’t spend time trying to scrape the last remnants out of the pan – if you do, the bulk of it will set hard before you get a chance to spread it out.
7. Allow the praline to cool completely before snapping into pieces.
I tried blitzing a few shards of the praline into a fine powder and then adding them to tempered dark chocolate. The results were quite pleasing, but I think I prefer the sesame snaps plain – nostalgia adds an extra layer of flavour!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Yummy! I am also very wary of hot sugar but I managed to make the toffee for my brulee recipe with no burns.
Yes you did! I was really impressed! :)
Here’s Sue’s post: http://blogs.food24.com/sous-chef/2012/05/23/budget-creme-brulee/
Celia, I LOOOOOVE sesame snaps – but Pete is too far away and there’s no way I can face a recipe this involved without the help of a certified “hand-holder” with experience in the caramel front.
by the way, loved your new avatar photo – new haircut?
Sally, I am way too chicken to try this when he’s not around. Borderline panic and hot sugar should not mix. :)
Thank you – yes, new haircut! Every time I get my haircut, there’s a little less black and a little more grey.. ;-)
Sesame snaps are my favorite even today, This inspired me to bake my own on sesame snaps baskets for ice cream. Yours look lovely. I can try that today.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy these, but do be careful.. :)
Looks delicious and not that hard to make too – thanks for sharing. Have a Great Day!
Thanks Renee! I think they’re quite easy if you’re calm – unfortunately I rarely am around hot sugar. Pete is though! :)
how on earth did you get the pan clean? but it must have been wonderful when they were so successful.. and tasty and nostalgic! c
Celi, surprisingly, the concrete sugar dissolves in hot water. Which makes it easy to get the pan clean, but hard to get it off the hob. :)
Your sesame snaps look fantastic. I will just admire yours as I am not comfortable working with hot sugar.
Norma, thank you! I gave some to my mum, and she was so pleased, she loves them. She’s asked us to make them for Chinese New Year! :)
Celia, I definitely want to try this–though I am a little scared of hot sugar! Looks just like what I get little individually wrapped rectangles of at the health food store for a ridiculous price.
Jean, maybe a scaled down version? The secret, I think, is to add the sesame seeds when the sugar is just starting to colour. When I tried it the first time, I waited until the sugar was really brown before I added the seeds, and it all went pear-shaped. ;-)
We sell these in work, they are so popular over here and very cheap. I’ve never been the biggest fan though. Perhaps I’d prefer the homemade stuff.
Nick, maybe you’d prefer our hazelnut praline? It’s a smaller batch and easier to make, and my Pete prefers it too.
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/07/31/hazelnut-praline/
I love sesame snaps. Such a delicious little snack! Very adventurous of you, Celia. Have a happy weekend xo
Thanks Lizzy. We had fun making them.. :)
That is a lot of sugar but they look amazing. I thought the same as celiag, how did you get the pan clean…
It is a lot of sugar – I thought afterwards that we could have tried a smaller batch, but the original JO recipe was for 450g sugar and 200g sesame. We tweaked the water and sugar just a little. The pan is easy enough to clean – really hot water soak and off it all came. It’s just hard to get it off the hob and bench which can’t be soaked! :)
Well done Pete for being your sugar man! Hot sugar is scary!
Yes, I’m lucky to have him, and not just because he’s the hot sugar man.. ;-)
Yes, you are very brave to try this. I’ve had plenty of trying times with sugar syrups too. The result this time is stunning. And I love sesame snaps – they’re a favourite snack of mine. You must have been so happy and relieved with these results Celia xx
I’ll try and make you some next time, Charlie! My mother has already put in a request for Chinese New Year! :)
That does look good. Good on you for having another try. (And yes, your new picture is very cute!) As kids we used to make toffee, honeycomb, butterscotch, marshmallows, coconut ice, fudge and caramels quite alot. We had recipes from my grandmother’s Berinbool cookbook (I think that’s right). I’m not sure if it was all confectionery, but that’s all we ever made from it. I always thought if I ever did any food training, I’d like to do confectionery, but can’t find a course (and don’t look very hard). At the moment I’m busy becoming a kitchen designer. That’s certainly enough.
The Berrambool recipe book I mentioned is actually The Berrambool, Victoria, ladies group’s book of “tried and tested recipes”, compiled in 1899 (publish date is 1915) by Mrs Willie Moffatt. I don’t think we’ll ever be lucky enough to find another copy of that gem!!! Reference to it in an article on community cookbooks mentions the number of stock and station type recipes in it, plus ones that are kind to the budget and ones for sick people.
Vix, being a kitchen designer sounds very exciting – is it your own kitchen? :) I bought a great book from Chefs’ Warehouse on commercial confectionary making, but have read it rather than cooked from it. There’s lots of inverted sugar and the like used in the recipes!
The book sounds like a treasure!
Yum!
Thanks! :)
I’m glad the second attempt was more successful! I had a similar experience making caramel once. For some reason I just couldn’t get it right. After the third burnt attempt I gave up.
It must have been a nightmare to clean up!
The first time I tried it, years ago, it was an absolute nightmare to clean up. I have no memory of how we got the glued off caramel off the hob – I think I’ve blocked it out of my head. Try caramel again and get Will to help you, Claire, I reckon it’s a two-person job. :)
I love making praline but I’ve never done sesame snaps. This looks great!!
Thanks Maureen! We were chuffed that they worked this time!
Yum!
Thanks Deb! :) xx
Dear Celia,
This looks like a fun but dangerous recipe if not done properly.I remember these snacks from Malaysia except they also come with a layer of peanuts.
Oooh Chopinand, I wonder how they get the peanuts onto it? Maybe they do two layers of praline, and layer one over the other..hmm…food for thought, thank you..
Ooh I love these sesame snaps. Although I have to fight Mr NQN for them as he bulldozes through them. And yet another reason for me to buy one of those mats!
Lorraine, the mat is great, but this is the only thing I use it for. I don’t use it in the oven – it can be a bugger to wash!
Those would be great alone or paired with another dessert.
Greg, Jamie Oliver’s original recipe had them paired with chocolate mousse!
Yum Celia…more beautiful treats from your kitchen. I have never really attempted anything like this. I think it is wise to approach so much hot sugar with caution! Have a lovely weekend :)
Jane, I think next time I’ll try with a smaller quantity. Mind you, they’ve all been eaten now! :)
thanks for all the great tips – it has been a long time since I attempted this!
Thanks Tandy, but do be careful! x
nostalgia ALWAYS gives another layer of flavour :-)
I love these, but no chance of me making it as just the thought of it bubbling over and trying to get it off hurts.
Brydie, it’s a two person job, and probably one not best attempted with small people underfoot. I’ll add you to the distribution list when we next make these. :)
So when can we put our orders in with Pete? It’s best not to have something like this in the house because it is something I could not stop eating!
:-) Mandy
PS. Love your updated pic.
Mandy, thank you! :)
I’ve been madly giving it away too, or else I eat myself into a sugar coma.. :)
oh yum!! My last attempt at caramel was soul destroying too
My empathy! I hope the next time, if there is a next time, works well for you.
You’re a braver woman than me, Celia. I had an encounter with hot honey that sent me to the doctors surgery every day for a week – that’s it for me and sugar!
Oh Amanda, that sounds terrible! I’m so sorry to hear that!
Here in the south (USA) we have a lovely cookie called “Benne Wafers” which are similar but have added butter so they aren’t like a brittle.
(I believe the origin is African.)
I love the flavor of sesame!
When working with hot sugar,
Always have a bowl of ice water next to the stove in case of any sugar splashes. Plunge into the ice water to chill hot sugar before trying to pull it off your skin. Sugar burns are bad and go very deep real fast. The secret is to get the sugar cold quickly to stop burning.
Hot sugar deserves healthy respect and body armor.
Pamela, thank you for the tip – I’ll remember the ice water next time. Body armour would be good – we wear our thick welding gloves!
Yes, I remember you saying that before. Good Idea!
Hi Celia, I too love Sesame snaps and am definitely going to try this. What size pan do you recommend?. I want to be sure it doesn’t overflow. Thanks for lunch and the bag of goodies. Everything made it home safely.
It was sooo nice to have lunch with you both, thanks again! We used our de Buyer saute pan, which is 30cm in diameter by 10cm deep. Maybe you need a new pan just for praline, Glenda? Hehehe…
Damn it! I have one just the right size:(
:D
Celia, I am so excited! I made my first loaves of sourdough this evening. They’re a bit dense, didn’t rise much but lovely and tangy and there’s even a few holes. Thank you for your sourdough posts. I would have reached the paralysis by analysis stage if I hadn’t read the demystifying sourdough post. Most of the first loaf is gone and I’m looking forward to toast tomorrow. Thank you again for your wonderful blog.
Jo, that IS exciting, congratulations!! You’ve done really well if the first loaf is almost all gone already! As you get more comfortable with your starter, you’ll be able to make higher hydration (wetter) doughs, which in turn leads to more holes. But that’s a preference thing – the white sourdough we’ve been baking in the last couple of months is quite closed crumb, and the boys have been asking for it for holiday lunches!
Did you take a photo of your loaf? If you’d like, I’d be happy to upload it into your comment for you.. :)
Thank you Celia. You have a generous soul. I sliced the second loaf to take a photo then my daughter came along and ate it so that’s enough happiness for me! Shirley from The Making of Paradise is a friend (although I found her blog through IMK) so I’ll have to head up the road for more tips.
How cool is that, Jo, that you daughter ate the bread before you had a chance to take a pic! :) And how nice that you and Shirley are friends! :)
I totally forgot how easy sesame snaps recipe was! When I was a kid, we made and ate this all the time :) Thanks for sharing :)
Tes, you’re much braver than I am, I’ve only just started making these in my late 40s! :)
Love these! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
You’re most welcome! :)
I love those little sesame snaps you buy – I tried to make some from an old magazine recipe a few years back that didn’t have the hot sugar challenge but this seems an even simpler list of ingredients – looks fantastic
Thanks Johanna! They were yummy – all gone now! :)
Yum! Who knew this snack was so easy to prepare at home? I’m sure it’s much healthier than the store-bought version as well. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Amber! Hope you enjoy them!
I cant believe they’re so easy :) I love sesame snaps
Hi Celia
Oh dear, we had a disaster. As soon as we put the sesame seeds in, the sugar totally crystalised and went solid. I now have a pan of sugared sesame seeds
:( What went wrong? Can I save it?
What a bugger! I’m sorry to hear that Glenda – that’s sort of what happened when I made the first batch all those years ago, only mine rose up and overflowed the pan as well, then set rock hard! Perhaps you got the sugar too hot? I’m not sure what you can do – maybe reheat the pan very gently to see if it will melt and then maybe you can try pouring it out again?