Sesame Tahini Cookies

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If you’ve tried my Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies, then you’re going to love these Sesame Tahini Cookies that also uses tahini instead of butter. Tahini is a sesame seed paste often used in Middle Eastern cooking and baking. It adds a creamy, savory taste to the cookies, that balances beautifully with the honey. And the best part is you only need a handful of ingredients!

They are like Middle Eastern version of my peanut butter cookies. These honey tahini cookies are perfect for parties and make for great snacking! And my favorite thing about them is you can actually taste the dough while making them since it’s mostly made with almond flour, honey and tahini.

What is tahini?

Tahini is a condiment that is made by grinding toasted, hulled sesame seeds to create a creamy, smooth spread. It’s a similar process to making peanut butter. Once it’s in paste form, it has an earthy and nutty flavor, but more slightly more bitter than nut butters. It’s a popular ingredient in Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean dishes.

Cookies made with almond flour

These sesame tahini cookies are made with Almond flour instead of all purpose. Almond flour is also known as almond meal, and it is made from finely ground almonds. It is widely available at health food stores.

How to make honey tahini cookies

In a small bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together, and mix the wet ingredients together in another bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well until the mixture becomes dough-like. Roll the dough into balls. I use a spring-loaded cookie scoop so they are are evenly sized.

Now you’re ready to roll the dough in the sesame seeds. I prefer using toasted sesame seeds for best flavor, but you can use regular sesame seeds as well since they will be getting toasted in the oven as well.

You should be able to make about 9 balls all together. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten them out slightly. These sesame tahini cookies will expand slightly when baked, but not by much.

They only need 8-10 minutes in the oven. You’ll know they’re done when the dough becomes golden brown and the sesame seeds darken.

Tips for making sesame tahini cookies

1. Use high quality ingredients. Aside from the salt, baking powder and vanilla extract, there are really only 4 ingredients and so it’s important that you use high quality ingredients that have no fillers. Instead look for single-ingredients type of products.
2. Make the tahini cookies vegan by substitute the honey for maple syrup. It will slightly affect the taste and texture but the cookies will still turn out chewy and delicious.
3. Allow the cookies five minutes to finish cooking on the baking tray. Once you remove them from the oven, they may still look soft and slightly undercooked. But they will firm up once they cool.

Frequently asked questions

How long do these sesame tahini cookies last?

Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an air tight container and they will keep for up to 7 days. You can keep them at room temperature or in the fridge.

You can also make the dough ahead of time, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. When ready to bake, allow the dough to thaw in the fridge until you’re ready to form, roll them in sesame seeds and bake the cookies.

Can you freeze tahini cookies?

You can freeze the baked sesame tahini cookies for up to 3 months. Next, you’ll want to place them on a baking sheet in the freezer until they are completely frozen. Then transfer them to freezer bags or an airtight container. To reheat the frozen cookies, bake in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes, or until until warmed through.

What can I replace the tahini with?

Tahini paste gives these cookies a very slight hint of bitterness which makes them so tasty! However, if you can’t find tahini, you can substitute it with another nut butter such as cashew, almond or peanut or sunflower seed butter works well too. The taste of the cookies will be affected, so use tahini if you can!

More recipes with tahini

• Tahini Milkshake
• Chocolate and Tahini Chip Cookies
• Tahini Sauce (Authentic!)

More cookie recipes

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Shortbread Lebanese Cookies
• 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
• Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Date Cookies

The whole family will love these delicious, gluten-free cookies. They are chewy on inside and crisp on outside, just how cookies should be! So quick and easy to make too – you have to make a batch!

If you make this feel good  Sesame Tahini Cookies recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!

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Review

Sesame Tahini Cookies

Sesame Tahini Cookies are chewy delicious gluten-free cookies with a Middle Eastern flavor. Instead of butter, tahini paste is used to add a rich nutty taste

5 from 324 votes

Author Yumna Jawad

Servings 16

Course Snacks

Calories 138

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Total Time 23 minutes mins

Video

Ingredients

  

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• ▢ ½ cup sesame seeds
• ▢ 1 ½ cups almond flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ⅓ cup honey
• ▢ ⅓ cup tahini
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the sesame seeds in a pie plate.
• In a small bowl, whisk the almond flour with the baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, mix the honey with the tahini and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until well incorporated.
• Using a spring-loaded cookie scoop, scoop the dough into balls. Roll the balls in the sesame seeds, then flatten them into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Transfer the rounds to the baking sheets, arranging them so they’re about 2 inches apart.
• Bake the cookies for about 8 minutes, until the bottoms are golden; shift the pans from top to bottom halfway through. Transfer the cookies to a rack and let cool before serving.

Equipment

Aluminum Sheet Pans

Mixing Bowl Set

Stainless Steel Cookie Scoop

Notes

Recipe: This recipe is adapted from Food and Wine

Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Place them on a baking sheet in the freezer until they are completely frozen. Then transfer them to freezer bags or an airtight container. To reheat the frozen cookies, bake in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes, or until until warmed through.

Or, you can make the dough ahead of time, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. When ready to bake, allow the dough to thaw in the fridge until you’re ready to form and bake the cookies.

Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutions:

• To make it vegan, substitute the honey with maple syrup.
• Instead of almond flour, you could try oat flour, although I haven’t tried it myself. 

Nutrition

Calories: 138kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 73mg, Potassium: 49mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 3IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 75mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine Arabic

Course: Snacks