Tahini Cookies

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)

5 from 4 votes

Tahini Cookies

YIELD: 2 dozen cookies

 

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.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup (140 g/5 oz) all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup (75 g/2.6 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (80 g/2.8 oz) granulated sugar
• 1/3 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

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Preheat oven to 350F/180C and line a pan with parchment paper.
5. 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.
6. 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.

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