Think of these tahini cookies as grown-up peanut butter cookies. The tahini lends a creamy, earthy flavor. This recipe comes from Mamaleh's in Cambridge, MA, one of our Top 50 Best New Restaurants in America 2017.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 24
Ingredients
2
1
½
¾
¾
3
¾
¼
Preparation
Step 1
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, sugar, and honey in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in tahini, then add dry ingredients in 2 batches, beating after each addition until fully combined. Dough will be slightly sticky.
Step 2
Place sesame seeds in a small bowl. Scoop out heaping tablespoons of dough (about 1 oz.) and roll into balls. Dip tops of balls in sesame seeds, pressing to adhere, and place, sesame side up, on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2" apart. Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until golden brown, 13–15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets (cookies will firm as they cool).
Leave a Review
Reviews (127)
Back to TopThese cookies are frankly AMAZING!! They are delicious, melt in your mouth, and make you a baking hero with everyone that you give them to. I return to this recipe over and over and over.
BrookeB
El Cerrito, CA
10/7/2023
Used Woodstock Organic tahini and King Arthur cup for cup GF flour, and these turned out well. Because of the GF flour, let the dough rest a bit in the fridge while I washed dishes and toasted the sesame seeds. Only slightly sweet and similar to shortbread. Texture of the dough and cookies were as described. An easy recipe with a grown-up taste.
Jane
Hamden, CT
8/25/2023
my friend has been raving about these so tried them, followed the recipe to a T-- easy to follow but definitely too sweet for my taste. will try again while cutting the sugar.
nadia
11/2/2022
I turned these into blossoms by adding dark chocolate kisses before baking for the last 2-3 minutes. I also sprinkled with flaky sea salt. The chocolate cut the richness of the dense tahini cookie and the sea salt added the perfect salty/sweet balance. A sort of gourmet twist on one of my favorite grandma's Christmas bakes. Turned out fabulous!!!
McD
California
12/20/2021
Amazing. Turned out delicious, I substituted ¾ cup butter for ⅛ cup butter, ½ cup coconut oil, ⅛ cup crisco; sub 3tbs honey for 1tbs honey, 2tbs maple syrup. Added a little more sugar than listed and mixed it up with some brown sugar and some coconut sugar. Also subbed ¼ cup of the all-flour for ancient grains flour. All this together gave an amazing texture
John Doe
California
12/20/2021
Can I add chocolate chips do you think?
Anonymous
12/17/2021
So good! I added diced dried apricots and the added chewiness is pretty great. Might do currants next. Also subbed 1/4 cup of the white sugar with brown sugar for added depth.
JBF
Seattle, Wa
11/20/2021