Tahini cookies have been a favorite at Reliquary for months. We are finding comfort in these cookies, now more than ever, even if we can’t have them alongside our midday oat lattes from Blue Bottle.  Funny thing is... when we got together to write up the recipe, we realized that Em and Leah (who had been taking turns baking them) had totally different recipes.  Both addictively delicious and both easy to make, high-protein and dairy-free.

Basically a health food right?

Em's Cookies:

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup (8oz) tahini, well stirred
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup organic cane sugar
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 3 tbsp cold water
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, or garbanzo flour (for a gluten free option with an even heartier, deep & earthy flavor profile)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups chocolate chips or chunks, bittersweet or semisweet is best!
  •  Flaky Maldon salt & sesame seeds for garnish

PREPARATION

FIRST heat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat: THEN follow this 12-step program!

  1. In a bowl cream tahini and sugars.
  2. Add eggs, water and vanilla and continue mixing for another couple of minutes and scrape down the sides of the bowl ever so often.
  3. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt into a large bowl and mix with a fork. 
  4. Add flour mixture to wet mixture in 2-3 batches and mix until just combined. 
  5. Use a rubber spatula to fold in chocolate chips. 
  6. Scoop or spoon to form dough into 1-2” balls.  
  7. Place the cookies on the baking sheet at least 3 inches apart to allow them to spread. 
  8. Take a spoon, dip in cool water and pat down and smooth tops of cookies with water.
  9. Sprinkle freshly moisten tops with sesame seed (black or white both work great)
  10. Bake for 13 to 18 minutes or until just golden brown around the edges but still pale in the middle to make thick, soft cookies. As cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle sparsely with Maldon sea salt. 
  11. Let cool for at least 20 minutes on a rack if you can wait….
  12. Enjoy!

If there is anything left over, the dough and baked cookies freeze VERY well.

This recipe was adapted, tried, consumed and personalized from Danielle Oron’s recipe as featured in the NYT cooking and Food 52.

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Leah's Cookies:

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups (225g) almond meal
  • 3/4 cup (200g) tahini
  • 1/2 cup (130ml) maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • crushed cacoa nibs, chopped pistachios – to garnish (You can get creative here... I have also used dried cranberries/walnuts, Cardamom/sesame seeds, etc.)

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 340F (convection)/300F (fan-forced). Line a rimmed cookie sheet/tray with parchment paper.
  2. Place tahini, maple syrup, salt and vanilla in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan on medium heat. Heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly until smooth and blended. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
  3. Add almond meal to the tahini maple mixture and mix until a rough dough forms.
  4. Roll 1-2 tablespoons worth of the dough in the palm of your hands into a ball. Place on the prepared tray and flatten slightly with your fingertips. Alternatively use an ice cream or cookie scoop to drop dollops of the dough on the prepared tray and flatten with your fingers.
  5. If decorating, press the toppings (nuts, seeds etc) on top of the cookie discs in the center. Bake in the pre-heated oven for approximately 10 minutes. Switch off the oven and let the cookies brown slightly in the hot oven for another 5 minutes before removing.
  6. Cool on wire racks. Store in air tight containers at room temperature for up to a week.

 This recipe was adapted from The Yoga Kitchen by Kimberley Parsons