Tasty treat or wonder food? Sesame Maple Toffee

I love the flavour of sesame seeds in Asian cuisine.  Whether it’s the heady aroma of sesame oil hitting a hot wok or the delicate tang of a Japanese sesame sauce it’ll be guaranteed to get my attention.  But did you know these amazing seeds are packed with essential minerals, high in dietary fibre and contain substances that lower cholesterol (lignans) and protect the liver from oxidation damage (sesamin)? 

Sesame seeds are one of the best sources of dietary copper and a good source of several other minerals including Manganese, magnesium, calcium, selenium, phosphorus, iron and zinc.  As someone with rheumatoid arthritis and susceptible to lung infections from the treatment regime, I’m always looking for ways to add copper and magnesium to the diet.  In a modern Western diet, many of these minerals are missing or inadequate so adding them to a variety of tasty dishes is beneficial for most of us.

Packed with so much goodness who could resist taking a slightly more decadent turn with the humble sesame seed?  In a bid to see if could sneak it past Drew in the guise of an after-dinner treat, I set about concocting a simple but tasty sweet bite.  The nutty taste of sesame immediately lends itself to some form of brittle and I really enjoy these with a nice hot cup of my favourite tea.

You aren’t going to believe quite how easy this is.  Just make sure you have everything ready before you start, setting toffee waits for no one.

Ingredients for sesame maple toffee

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds (I use black or a mix but the standard ones will work if that’s what you have handy)

Pinch of salt

Putting it together

1. Lay out a piece of baking paper to spread the toffee mixture onto once cooked
2. Heat the maple syrup in a small saucepan until foamy bubbles form.  Turn down the heat and keep tilting the pan to stop it sticking.
3. Once it thickens test the consistency by dropping a small amount in a bowl of cold water, the toffee should form into a small soft ball.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the sesame seeds and salt
5. Tip onto the baking paper and use a palette knife or scraper to shape it into a rectangular shape
6. Allow it to cool but cut before it’s fully set if you want uniform shapes.  Alternatively, you can break the cold brittle into pieces.

Variations:  You can use other forms of natural sugars such as agave nectar and honey to form your toffee.  You can also add other items to the toffee such as nuts, other types of seeds or coconut depending on your preferences and what you have available.