What's Baking: Tahini Cookies

Take your cookie craving to the Mediterranean with these tantalizing tahini cookies. 

I've been making a lot of hummus from scratch lately, which means that I almost always have a jar of tahini in the fridge. And that got me to wondering ... what else can I make with tahini?

Tahini is a staple of the Mediterranean pantry – it is a paste made from sesame seeds and has a slightly bitter nutty flavor. It gives these cookies a flavor similar to that of peanut butter cookies, but with a little extra something at the end that make your tastebuds go "hmmm...what is that?" – in a good way. I found that the delicate floral flavor of cardamom in the sugar mixture helped to balance out the slightly bitter notes of the tahini. 

If you find the tahini flavor in the cookies to be a bit too overwhelming, wait a day or two. I found that after a couple of days in the cookie jar, the flavor of these cookies mellows out and makes for an excellent mid-afternoon snack. Or second breakfast with a cup of coffee. Or after-dinner dessert. You get the picture.

Tahini Cookies

makes 2 dozen 3-inch cookies

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup tahini

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

3 tablespoons cup coarse-grain sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. 

2. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attached, cream together the butter, tahini, and brown and granulated sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides as needed to fully incorporate all of the wet ingredients together.

3. Using low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in several batches. Once the flour is almost completely incorporated, turn off the mixer and use a rubber spatula for the final stirring. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, or until the dough has begun to firm up. 

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Place the sugar and cardamom in a shallow bowl and stir together. 

5. Scoop the dough in 1 1/2 tablespoon portions and roll into balls. Roll each ball in the sugar mixture to lightly coat. Place the dough balls on the prepped baking sheet about 2 inches apart, fitting 12 cookies at a time. Use the back of a fork to flatten each cookie 1/2-inch thick with a criss-cross pattern.

6. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies are light golden brown in color. Remove from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before moving the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

(lightly adapted from this recipe from The Kitchn)