Daigaku imo kukki – Japanese soft sweet potato cookies

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 350 g sweet potatoes, peeled
• 100 g milk
• 100 g sugar
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• 100 g butter, room temperature
• 1 m.-sized eggs
• 350 g wheat flour type 405
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 20 minutes

for approx. 48 cookies

Cut the sweet potatoes into smaller cubes. Place the milk, sugar, and vanilla sugar in a saucepan and cook the sweet potato cubes until soft. Let cool slightly and then puree in a blender. It’s best to let cool completely overnight. Whisk the egg and butter into the sweet potato mixture until no lumps remain. Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt and sift through. Fold in the sweet potato mixture. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. The dough should only be slightly sticky. Refrigerate for half an hour. Cut off 48 equal pieces of dough, shape them into balls with floured hands, and place them on three baking sheets lined with baking paper, leaving some space between them. Dip a teaspoon in flour and flatten the balls slightly to create a small hollow. Gently warm the honey with water, mix, and spread over the cookies. Sprinkle some sesame seeds into each dough hole. Preheat the oven to 180°C (top/bottom heat). Place each baking sheet in the oven for about 16-18 minutes, baking the cookies until they are not overbrown. Let them cool on a wire rack. They go very well with Japanese tea. Recipe note: These cookies are best eaten fresh. They can also be frozen and reheated as needed.