I keep a huge jar of tahini in my fridge at all times. (Because a normal-sized jar would just not due, lol.)
At the store, I just always seem to go for the big jar…it is usually so much cheaper to buy in bulk!
It eventually gets used up because I use tahini often enough to make things like hummus (or other hummus-like spreads), salad dressing, and creamy sesame sauce for topping fried cauliflower (which is one of my all-time favorite ways, if not my absolute favorite way, to eat cauliflower; the recipe is in my cookbook).
The good thing is that tahini will last a pretty long time if stored in the fridge, but still, I like to try to find new ways to use it, especially because tahini is such a healthy ingredient. (Among other things, tahini is a good source of protein, B vitamins, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, and iron.)
I thought why not go sweet instead of savory and make tahini cookies?
If you’re familiar with the tahini confection called halawa (or halva, halava, or haleweh), which is (to me) best described as sesame fudge, you will go crazy for these cookies. I kept them grain-free and gluten-free by using almond meal, and thanks to the tahini-honey combo, they are soft and chewy. They’re great with tea or coffee (especially the Turkish variety), and can be made a day ahead and quickly reheated for just-baked texture.
These cookies just happen to be the perfect sweet treat for keeping on hand for the Eid! In honor of the three-day celebration that marks the end of Ramadan, I’m participating in a Virtual Eid Party (thank you to Meriem of Culinary Couture for organizing it!). Here what the other participating bloggers are sharing…
Algerian Almond Paste Fruits from Culinary Couture
Bread Halwa from 40 Aprons
Cashew Baklava Fingers from Wandering Spice
Double Chocolate Baklava from The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Moroccan Bisteeya from Club Narwhal
Pistachio Orange Rice Pudding from A Clean Bake
Shahi Tukda/Pakistani Saffron Bread Pudding from Latourdeforce
Happy Eid al-Fitr!
- ½ cup (125 g) tahini
- ½ cup (170 g) honey
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons pure almond extract
- 1½ cups (168 g) almond meal or flour (you can use unblanched or blanched; I used a mix of both)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ tablespoons sesame seeds, for topping
- Preheat the oven to 350F; line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper or silpat liners.
- Stir together the tahini, honey, egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until smooth, then stir in the almond meal, salt, and baking soda until well combined. (The batter will thicken as you stir, but it will still be a soft, sticky batter; don’t be tempted to add more almond meal.) Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.
- Use a 1 tablespoon-sized scoop to measure out the batter onto the cookie sheet, leaving about 1 inch between cookies. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
- Bake until the cookies are golden on the bottom and set along the outside, but still look a touch doughy in the center, about 10 minutes, rotating the trays once.
- Cool the cookies completely on their trays before removing.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items, which helps me keep this site alive – thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
Joey in PDX says
Absolutely heavenly! I reduced honey to 150g and they were still sweet and chewy. These will be my go-to sweet! Thanks for sharing.
Sali says
I was really excited about these. The flavor is amazing but my first batch burned badly on bottom with just ten minutes in oven. I did the second batch only 7 minutes and only some of them burned. Not sure what I did wrong.
Faith says
Hi Sali, I'm happy you enjoyed the flavor, but I'm sorry to hear that they burned for you! Ovens can heat differently, I would try checking the cookies a little sooner if yours burn easily, and also maybe turning the oven down a bit. Also, you might want to calibrate your oven and see if that makes a difference. I hope this helps!
Veronique says
These look so beautiful I just had to make them today since the weather is cool and having the oven on will be an added bonus to the yumminess I'm sure these cookies will deliver. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I love your site.
Theresa Nicholson says
I just made these and they are fantastic! A new favorite for sure. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
sarah says
I just made these - they are great thank you! However, mine were 'cakey' how can I make them more 'chewy biscuit'?
Faith says
Hi Sarah, Did you make any changes to the recipe (either to the ingredients or to the method)? Every time I make these cookies I follow the recipe above, and they are chewy. I'd be happy to help you troubleshoot though!
Mary Frances @ The Sweet {Tooth} Life says
Faith, these cookies are gorgeous! I have to admit, I've never splurged on tahini, but I know it is the secret to the best hummus. Now I know you can make incredible cookies with it too! I would never have guessed these were paleo - double thumbs up!
nic mclean says
Is there anyway you could suggest to make this vegan-what could I use in place of the egg and could I use maple syrup in place of the honey? They look lovely and I'd love to be able to adapt them.
Faith says
Hi Nic, Thanks so much for your kind words about my recipe! To make this recipe vegan, you could try substituting a flax "egg" (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed soaked in 3 tablespoons water) or 1/4 cup mashed banana or applesauce for the egg. For the honey, you could try either maple syrup or agave instead. I haven't made the recipe with these changes, but please let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Meriem @ Culinary Couture says
Halva is the best! I love using it in no-bake goods so the flavor shines through the best. I'm looking forward to trying these cookies. Thank you so much for participating!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
What a beautiful cookie, Faith! I would love to use tahini in more than just hummus and drizzled over salads and stuff, so am always looking for recipes that include it. This cookie looks simple and delicious. Just my style! Thanks for sharing. Eid Mubarak!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
What a perfect treat for Eid! :D I can imagine how quickly you go through a jar of tahini!
Yasmeen | Wandering Spice says
Gorgeous! Faith you know I've always loved your photos, and these are no exception.
We also always have a giant jar of tahina in the pantry - it's so incredibly useful as you've pointed out.
Really lovely to celebrate the Eid alongside you in the virtual party too :)
Amy | Club Narwhal says
Faith, these are simply gorgeous! I love the idea of a sweet tahini treat. I'm also such a fan of your beautiful photo props here :)
Erica says
They sound DIVINE! I love sesame anything.
Cheryl says
Mmm, these sound amazing! I'm dying over your photography, too - perfect props and lighting. Lovely!
Aiza says
I have sadly never seen tahini here, though is it something like the sorts of nut butters? Your cookies are so darn cute and eclectic, I love these.
Faith says
Aiza, Tahini is a paste made out of sesame seeds - yup, it's very similar to nut butters. It's very oily though (sort-of like natural peanut butter), so once the jar is open I like to give it a good stir to incorporate the oil and then store it in the fridge to prevent it from going rancid too quickly.
Nutmeg Nanny says
These cookies are gorgeous! I love all that silver :)
Julia says
When I first started buying tahini, I pretty much only used in in hummus and now I love it in all sorts of recipes (especially salad dressings!) I've been wanting to make cookies with tahini and these look fabulous! I have all the ingredients I need - so excited to give these a whirl!! Hope you had a great weekend!
Rosa says
Ooohhh, they must be extremely addictive! Those cookies are for me.
Cheers,
Rosa