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These tahini cookies are ready in 30 minutes. Sweetened with honey and coated in sesame seeds, these cookies are naturally dairy-free and egg-free.
When it comes to cookies, I’m pretty particular. I like them less sweet than usual and I want them to be easy to make. A few of our readers’ favorite cookie recipes are cardamom shortbread, peanut butter cookies and Turkish almond cookies.
These sesame crusted tahini cookies are a family favorite that I’m so excited to share with you. They are so easy to make and just like my Italian pistachio cookies, require no refrigeration, meaning it takes than 30 minutes to make these from start to finish!
If you love tahini as much as I do, you’re going to love this recipe. The combination of tahini and honey is unique and always a winner. These tahini cookies are dairy-free, oil-free and refined sugar-free. You can enjoy them with a cup of freshly brewed Persian tea or pack them for gifting with some other sweets such as my Turkish delight recipe.
Table of Contents
Ingredients For Tahini Cookies
- Tahini: Made from sesame seeds, tahini is a Middle Eastern staple used in a variety of dishes, sweet and savory. It has a nutty and earthy flavor that makes these cookies absolutely delicious. Wondering what to do with extra tahini? Try my delicious tahini cake!
- Honey: To sweeten these cookies, I used honey which works perfectly with tahini. Keep in mind that granulated sugar won’t work in this recipe.
- Flour: All purpose flour works just fine in this recipe, however, you can use almond flour or gluten-free flour as well.
- Baking soda: It gives the cookies a chewy and coarse texture.
- Salt: To enhance and balance the flavors.
- Walnuts: Ground walnuts give such great flavor to these cookies and also improve the texture. Use a food processor to grind the walnuts. It’s okay if they’re not finely ground.
- Sesame seeds: Roll the cookie dough balls in sesame seeds. I prefer using toasted sesame seeds for more flavor.
How To Make Tahini Cookies
- Place the tahini, honey, salt and baking soda in a bowl and stir for a minute until combined.
- Add in the flour and ground walnuts. Using a spoon or a spatula, mix the dough until it comes together.
- Form the cookie dough into 12 balls and set them aside.
- Roll each cookie dough ball in toasted sesame seeds and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Flatten the cookies using the bottom of a glass. The cookies should still be about 1/4 inch thick. Keep in mind that won’t spread much in the oven.
- Bake the tahini cookies in the oven at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes. Let them cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips To Make The Best Tahini Cookies
- Quality: Since this recipe uses only a few ingredients, make sure to use the best ones you can get your hands on.
- Sesame seeds: I love using toasted sesame seeds to roll the cookies in since they have a nice nutty flavor. However, you can use regular ones as well.
- Double the recipe: This recipes yields 12 cookies, you can always double or triple the recipe to enjoy it with more people.
Storage And Freezing
Store the tahini cookies in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 10 days.
How to freeze tahini cookies? There are 2 ways to freeze tahini cookies:
- Baked cookies: Transfer the cookies to a freezer safe bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Raw cookie balls: Place the raw cookie balls coated with sesame seeds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 2 hours so they’re solid then transfer to a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 6 months. To bake, thaw them in the fridge overnight, transfer to a baking sheet, flatten using the bottom of a glass and bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. To make gluten-free tahini cookies, you can either use almond flour or 1:1 gluten-free flour in place of all purpose flour.
Yes, you can make these cookies up to a week in advance and keep them in the refrigerator.
To make these tahini cookies vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey.
You’ll Love: More Cookie Recipes
Persian Recipes
Pofaki Gerdooyi (Persian Walnut Cookies)
Italian Recipes
Italian Pistachio Cookies
Persian Recipes
Persian Coconut Cookies (Shirini Nargili)
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get a free e-Cookbook!
Best Tahini Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup walnuts, ground
- 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl mix the tahini, honey, baking soda and salt until combined.
- Add in the all purpose flour and ground walnuts. Stir using a spoon or a spatula until the dough comes together.
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces and shape each piece into a ball.
- Roll the cookie balls in sesame seeds until they are well coated on all sides. Transfer the cookie balls to the baking sheet and leave about 2 inches between them.
- Using a glass with a round bottom, gently press on the cookies to flatten them so they are about 1/4 inch thick. Keep in mind that the cookies won't spread much while baking.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, they will be brown around the edges ever so slightly.
- Let the tahini cookies cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you’re using quality tahini and honey since these two ingredients give all the flavor to the cookies.
- If making these cookies gluten free, use almond flour or 1:1 gluten-free flour.
- For vegan tahini cookies use maple syrup instead of honey.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for 3 days or in the fridge for 10 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Easy and delicious snack! I added some dates syrup to honey as I ran out of honey in the process. It still worked and added more flavor.
I love tahini and I’ve been looking for a good cookie to have for a once-in-awhile snack and without the proceeded sugar, it seems like a winner. I will definitely make these cookies and I may substitute date syrup for the honey and the maple syrup. It’s not as sweet.
Keto friendly how to substitut honey ?
Hi Muriel, I have not tried this with keto friendly options, however, apparently there are keto friendly honey substitutes out there, please check amazon 🙂