Honey Tahini Cookies

These cookies took a hot minute to test completely which I could have predicted given the fact that I didn’t really know what I wanted them to be like. I guess I sort of wanted a gooey crispy cookie, but I didn’t really have my heart set on that because I wasn’t sure about how these flavors were going to work out. I ended up with a cookie that’s crisp on the outside and soft but not quite gooey on the inside.

I’ll be honest, I don’t actually like Tahini. I actually kind of hate it, and as I was spooning it into perfectly good cookie dough I was starting to question why exactly I was making a cookie out of something I don’t like. But the truth is, these cookies don’t taste like straight tahini, they’ve got butter, honey, brown sugar, and a hint of cinnamon working with the tahini to make a beautiful combination of flavors.

Long story short, I don’t like tahini but I do like these cookies. So if you were dubious about the tahini flavor, don’t worry because I promise it works. It’s kind of like a peanut butter cookie, but with a fancier kind of flavor.

Describe These Cookies to Me

Taste: These cookies have a little nuttiness and tang from the tahini, but it’s perfectly balanced with the sweet and bright honey, warmer notes from the cinnamon and brown sugar, and a little saltiness from the butter. There’s not too much of any one flavor, the entire cookie is a simple blend of all of the flavors together.
Texture: The outside of this cookie is crisp and caramelized from the honey in the dough, and has a little crunch from the sesame seed sugar coating. When warm the inside is a little gooey, but when cooled down it’s soft and melt in your mouth buttery. This cookie really gives you the best of both worlds.
Ease: This recipe is definitely on the easier side. The dough is a simple one bowl, no mixer, no chill recipe and these cookies can be done in under an hour. This is the perfect recipe for when you need a sweet treat in a pinch, especially for a summer party.

The Dough

As I said before, the is a very simple recipe. The dough is no chill, no mixer, and one bowl. This is a very thin, almost sticky dough. This is because the tahini dries out the cookies so we need less flour in the dough to ensure these cookies stay soft and delicate rather than dry and dense. Because this is a melted butter recipe, the dough will get a little thicker the longer you let it sit so try to get these rolled into cookies pretty quickly.

The Sugar Coating

Before baking up these cookies, I like to roll the dough balls in a sesame sugar. This is just granulated sugar tossed with sesame seeds. This caramelizes the outside of the cookie and gives it a little crunch. It also incorporates another element of the delicate sesame flavor, and it looks pretty as well!

Honey Tahini Cookies

Perfect for sunny summer days, these cookies are a quick and simple recipe bursting with flavor! Delicate tahini mixed with bright and sweet honey and buttery brown sugar are the stars of these unique cookies. This dough is a one bowl, no mixer required, no chill recipe, making them perfect for even the busiest summers!

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Servings: 12 cookies

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• ¾ cup salted butter melted
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup tahini
• 4 Tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg at room temp
• 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• a pinch of salt
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup white sesame seeds

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Set aside. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter and brown sugar until combined. It will be very split, that's ok. Stir in the tahini, honey, and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Mix in the egg. Sift in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and use a large rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet. The dough will be thin.
3. In a small bowl, toss together the granulated sugar and sesame seeds.
4. Using a cookie scoop, shape the dough into balls, about two Tablespoons in size. Toss the cookies in the granulated sugar/sesame seed mix before placing on the previously prepared baking sheets roughly two inches apart.
5. Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes or until set on the sides and lightly browned. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack to cool completely, or enjoy warm. These cookies stay fresh sealed in an airtight container for up to 5 days.