The Middle East brings many images to mind. Veiled women walking through an open-air market. Rich colors and intricate patterns on textiles. A vast dry desert leading to a beautiful oasis. Camels readied for a long journey. Mosques with their exquisite architecture and colorful tiled interiors. Tagines, fragrant spices, tall metal pitchers, festive plates, and so much more. It is a broad region with many cultures and foods. There is one Middle Eastern ingredient I've been wanting to use for the longest time. I finally tackled it and made Sesame Tahini Cookies.
Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds. If you like peanut butter or any nut butter you should like tahini. It isn't as sweet or as thick as some store-bought peanut butter. It separates and needs to be stirred well before using. Be patient, keep stirring, and it will smooth out and eventually come together. Try not to make a mess like I did by stirring hard and splashing oil all over the place.
How are the sesame tahini cookies? They are crunchy, mildly sweet, and reminiscent taste of peanut butter cookies. If you do not care for overly sweet desserts, these are for you. Sesame seeds coat the outside giving a hint to the flavor inside. Bake a batch then grab a glass of milk and be ready to enjoy a special Middle Eastern treat.
Do you enjoy Middle Eastern cuisine? What is your favorite dish? Scroll down to find more recipes by Sunday Supper bloggers. We are taking a virtual culinary journey across the region. It's an exploration you do not want to miss.
Sesame Tahini Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup well-stirred tahini
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the tahini and vanilla and beat to combine.
- Reduce speed to low and add flour. Mix until just combined (you will have a crumbly dough).
- Press dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill dough until firm, about 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or non-stick liners.
- Stir together sesame seeds and sugar and spread out on a small plate.
- Roll dough into 24 balls of equal size. Roll balls one at a time in seeds to coat. Place rolled balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
- Bake cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating halfway through, until puffed and starting to crack.
- Cool cookies on baking sheets for 10 minutes. (Cookies will easily break when hot). Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Epicurious - Gilded Sesame Cookies
Check out these Middle Eastern recipes by Sunday Supper bloggers:
Mezze {Appetizers}
- Muhammara - Supper for a Steal
- Homemade Labneh Cheese - The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- Burnt Eggplant with Garlic, Lemon and Pomegranate Seeds - Take A Bite Out of Boca
- Roasted Tomato Hummus - Family Foodie
Salata {Salads and Sides}
- Fried Cauliflower w/ Sesame Parsley Sauce (Qarnabeet Mekleh Bil Taratoor) - girlichef
- Charred Eggplant and Chickpea Stew - The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Couscous, Lentil and Chickpea Salad - Citronlimette
- Persian Jeweled Rice - Vintage Kitchen Notes
- Lebanese Rice - Cindy's Recipes and Writings
Main
- Quinoa Falafel - Jane's Adventure in Dinner
- Jamie Oliver's Beef Tagine - Shockingly Delicious
- Chicken Biryani - Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
- Crockpot Curry Chicken - The Foodie Army Wife
- Quinoa Falafel with Fresh Herbs - Sue's Nutrition Buzz
- Shakshuka - kimchi MOM
- Beef Tagine Over Couscous - Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- Grilled Red Snapper with Cilantro and Onion Stuffing or حمراء مشوية مع حشوة - Food Lust People Love
- Falafel with Israeli Salad - Webicurean
- Chicken Shawarma - The Texan New Yorker
- Spaghetti Squash Pastitsio with Greek Yogurt Bechamel - Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Kushari - Curious Cuisiniere
- Israeli BBQ Chicken - From Fast Food to Fresh Food
- Quick Persian Rice and Spiced Beef - MarocMama
Halwa {Desserts}
- Ghraybeh Cookies - Killer Bunnies, Inc
- Ghraybeh - That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Fried Honey Citrus Cakes - Neighborfood
- Easy Baklava Cake - NinjaBaking.com
- Sesame Tahini Cookies - Magnolia Days
- Basbousa (Semolina Cake) - Mess Makes Food
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Sesame tahini cookies might be my favorite Middle Eastern treat after baking yours, Renee!
Love your images of the Middle East...Makes me want to travel! Or at least vicariously via the television =)
One day I would like to visit the Middle East. Until then, traveling via television and internet will have to do.
These are definitely for me! I've have a similar recipe in my bucket list for the longest time, and they look so so so good Renee. Not too sweet with a wonderful crunch I assume. Gorgeous! The splashing of sesame oil is almost a given in my kitchen.
Thanks Paula. And I really enjoyed these cookies because they are not too sweet. They reminded me so much of European cookies.
Gorgeous cookies, Renee! I love the crunchy coating of sesame seeds!
Thanks Liz
You painted such a beautiful picture of the Middle East. I really like this recipe for the fact that it's so unique...and I love tahini, so I will definitely love these cookies.
Thank you Shaina
Tahini is one of my favorite ingredients but I must confess that I have always used it in savory dishes rather than sweet. I need to give your cookie a try, Renee!
Oh yes Stacy, you must try it in a cookie. It is so great!
These cookies look delicious, I can't wait to eat a few more than I should. 😉
Thanks Pamela and I ate more than I should have too.
Great intro to a fun cookie. I love sesame seeds and these look fabulous!
Thanks Isabel
These look so good!!!
And they taste as good as they look.
I've made tahini cookies before and totally forgot about them. Your recipe looks so tasty, I can't wait to try them.
Now how could you forget about making Tahini cookies? They are too good to forget.
Absolutely lovely cookies 🙂
Thanks so much Bobbi
I really enjoy Middle eastern cookies...They are often not to sweet and not to moist...just perfect to go alongside your tea or coffee. This is quite nice. Thanks for sharing.
Velva
After making these cookies I know I want to try more Middle Eastern cookies.
These cookies look absolutely delicious. Great info.
Thanks Marie
Haha...I ALWAYS pour oil all over the place when I'm stirring tahini. I would definitely love a plate of these with a cup of warm tea after work!
I think they make tahini containers too short. It's too easy to splash the oil all over when stirring.
Oh my goodness, these cookies look fabulous!! I would LOVE some of these right now!!
Thanks you so much!
I made a huge mess the first time I used tahini! Mathis are so gorgeous and I am sure they are yummy!
It's so easy to make a mess stirring tahini. Someone has to know an easier and less messy way.
I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but these sound perfect for me. Wow, I can't believe I have all the ingredients for this recipe! 🙂
Thanks Amy and I hope you make the cookies soon, especially since you have all the ingredients.
Could I have about a dozen of these delivered to my classroom-right now?
I'm sure they would ship well, however they are all gone. I guess you will have to make a batch for yourself.
Several months ago, someone gifted me with some sesame seed tahini cookies and I loved them. Thanks to you, now I have a recipe to make my own. Yay!!!! Thanks so much for this gift!!
You are very welcome and very lucky to have received such a wonderful gift of the cookies.
I didn't used to like tahini but I have come around. These sound crunchy and tasty. I don't like very sweet desserts anymore.
I'm sure you would like these cookies if you don't care for very sweet desserts. They are similar in sweetness to European cookies.
These cookies look so delicious, Renee! I love tahini but I never thought about it in cookies. Middle Eastern food is a favorite for me and I'm definitely trying these. Great post!
Thanks Bill. Tahini is for so much more than savory food. I'm now wondering if it would be good in a cake or some other baked good.
I am a complete tahini freak but I'd only ever had it as a dip - made with water, lemon juice, garlic and seasonings. Last year, my sister-in-law, who is Israeli, made tahini cookies and I was shocked that it could even be used sweet. When I first tasted them, I wasn't a huge fan but she left them with me and they actually quite grew on me. 🙂
I adore all kinds of nut and seed butter (peanut butter is all all-time favorite) so I was very happy with these cookies. They can become quite addictive too.