Pasteli is a crunchy sesame seed honey bar that can be eaten as candy or a high protein energy booster at any time and is a wonderful accompaniment to tea. This two-ingredient bar is perfectly sweet and nutty, so cut it into small pieces and serve it up!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 mins
Yield: Varies (roll out thin for crispier versions)
Toast the sesame seeds in a nonstick saute pan on low, stirring frequently, for about 5-10 minutes.
Put 2 large sheets of parchment paper on the counter and spray them with cooking spray.
Spray a medium saucepan with cooking spray, then add honey to the pan and bring to a boil on medium high heat. Stir in sesame seeds (or any combo *see “Rad Remix” below) and mix until combined.
Transfer the sesame mixture to one sheet of parchment paper.
Cover with another sheet of parchment paper (cooking spray-covered surface touching the sesame mixture), and roll with a rolling pin to flatten the mixture to 1/4-inch thick.
Carefully remove the top parchment paper and let cool for 15 minutes. Cut the sesame honey mixture into bars using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter. Don’t wait too long or the bars will become too hard to cut.
Store in the refrigerator or store in an air-tight container at room temperature with sheets of parchment paper between each bar to prevent them from sticking together.
Rad Remix: To zest up this recipe, substitute the 1 ½ cups sesame seeds with a combo or complete substitution of black sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, almonds, peanuts, pistachio nuts, orange zest, lemon zest, ground nutmeg, black pepper, Chinese 5-Spice…