These crackly melt-in-your-mouth cookies are made with only a handful of ingredients. They’re quick to prepare, and get their wonderfully unique flavor from the addition of tahini.
With the weather around here being constantly warm, every bit of rain gives me a serious cold, just like the one I have this morning—which, by the way, has turned this into the slowest morning ever. Although I’m coughing, sneezing, and whining about how miserable I am to any poor person who happens to call me, I’m still working because once you quit your job and become self-employed from home, you’re no longer entitled to sick days. After all, no one’s going to pay you while you’re sick, and no one else can answer your emails for you. Oh, and being a workaholic doesn’t help much either. But I’m not complaining.
Long story short, being sick didn’t stop me from baking these tahini cookies today, and they’re so good that if you try just one, you’re quite likely to eat five more before you even realize it! Even a fever of 38° C won’t stop you from doing so—trust me, I know.
The cookies
If you like tahini, you’re most certainly gonna love these cookies. They’re quick to make and require only a few ingredients. It may sound strange to add tahini to cookies, but they won’t actually taste like tahini; in fact, they’re closer to halva if you know what that is. Not only do they taste good, but they have that perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture that I know you guys love.
The cookies are rolled in a mixture of powdered sugar and cinnamon (you can omit the cinnamon but it adds a lot of flavor), and then garnished with almonds, which not only make them pretty but also extra delicious.
Is chilling necessary?
After making the dough, I like to chill it for 30 minutes or so just because it’s easier to roll and deal with, but if your dough isn’t too soft, you can shape it and bake it straight away.
You may also like:
Melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies
Mexican wedding cookies (aka pecan butter cookies)
- 1 cup (140 g/5 oz) all-purpose flour, sifted
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup (75 g/2.6 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g/2.8 oz) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (100 g/3.5 oz) tahini
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for rolling
- Whole almonds, for garnish
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, and tahini on medium-low speed for 1-2 minutes until creamy. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Do not overtax.
- I like to chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for easy rolling because it’s quite soft at this point, but it’s optional.
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C and line a pan with parchment paper.
- Using an ice cream scoop or level tablespoon, drop rounded balls of dough, about 1 inch/2.5cm in diameter (15 grams in weigh each). They might look small, but they’ll become bigger while baking. Roll in powdered sugar-cinnamon mixture and place onto prepared baking sheet. Set an almond in the center of each ball, gently pressing to slightly flatten the cookies. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until cookies look cracked and just begin to brown at the edges. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer gently to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies will keep for 4-5 days at room temperature in an airtight container. They can also be frozen for up to a month and thawed overnight in the fridge.
9 Comments
Lauren Gaskill | Making Life Sweet
February 18, 2016 at 9:40 amWhat lovely photos, and what a delicious cookie! Going to break out my 1:1 gluten free baking flour for this! 😀
Jana @ delectablymine
March 23, 2016 at 7:51 amI wanted to thank you for this delicious recipe. Tahini is one of my favorite things so I knew I had to make these the moment I saw them. They were so tender and delicious, and the almond in the center really tops the whole thing off visually. Thanks!!
Shiran
March 23, 2016 at 1:12 pmThank you for your comment, Jana! I love these cookies so much – ever since I was a little girl!
Jana @ delectablymine
March 24, 2016 at 8:55 amI can certainly see why!! ? I now love them as well!
Lara
August 27, 2017 at 12:13 pmWell I have never been a big fan of tahini but I was gifted a jar of it by a colleague and decided I’d give this recipe a go. I made a batch for a party last night at a neighbour’s house and they were so delicious I made another batch today, just for me. Great, easy recipe. I used brown sugar instead of white and hazelnuts instead of almonds.
Dani
September 1, 2018 at 11:44 amThese are magic, made the cookies first time today- and I am indeed flashed by the amazing taste. Thank you, made my day and widened my taste horizon ????!!! Dani
Mary Allen
December 1, 2018 at 8:08 amHi there! I would really love to try out this cookie. Is it possible for me to add brown sugar? If so how much can I add? Thank you for a great recipe
Shiran
December 2, 2018 at 5:59 amHi Mary, you can replace some or all of the granulated sugar with brown sugar. This will affect the texture of the cookies, but they should turn out ok.
Sue
December 17, 2018 at 5:44 amAmazingly yummy cookies that melt in your mouth! Love them! Will definitely be making these again.