Irresistible tahini cookies bursting with flavor with aromatic, nutty browned butter. Add sesame seeds for an extra crunch layer or load it up with chocolate chips to satisfy the chocolate lovers in your home. One is never enough.
Next time try these easy butter crunch cookies.
Ditch your everyday chocolate chip cookies and make them with tahini. What sets these apart though, is that we are going the extra mile and brown the butter for an extremely flavorful cookies.
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❤️ Why You'll Love It
- An upgrade to your delicious chewy chocolate chip cookies.
- A delightful way to use that jar of tahini sitting in your pantry.
- Brown butter gives these cookies and extra nutty flavor.
Most tahini cookies recipes use softened butter and goes into the traditional route of creaming sugar with butter. I've decided to upgrade my tahini cookies by browning the butter. Browning butter is so easy and takes just 10 minutes of your time
📝 Ingredients
Note: This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
🥄 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a deep bowl beat sugars and butter together until combined. Pour in tahini, egg and vanilla extract and beat.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to the tahini mixture gradually. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 3 days.
- Scoop the dough with a small ice cream scoop and roll into a ball. Press the dough lightly into sesame seeds to cover.
- Or you can add chocolate chips to make chocolate chip tahini cookies.
- Arrange on a baking sheet 2-3 inches apart as they spread. Bake in a preheated oven until the edges are light brown while the middles are paler.
💡 Expert Tips
- Brown butter in a light-colored pan, this is very important especially if you are a beginner.
- Brown the butter on medium heat to ensure even melting and browning, do not be tempted to put it on high.
- To speed up solidifying the butter place on a baking sheet in a single thin layer. Your butter will take way less time to solidify.
- If you keep your dough in the fridge for too long it will be rock hard. That's ok, just take it out and let it come to room temperature.
- For more Halva flavor up the tahini to ¾ cup.
- Chocolate chip is really up to you, use whatever variety you like.
- It is important to allow room for dpreading. Sesame tahini cookies do spread to almost double the size.
- Sprinkle top with some sea salt for the perfect sweet and salty cookies.
- For a large flat cookies form your dough into 2 inches cookies for a chubby one like the chocolate chip above form into 1 ½ inches.
How to brown butter?
Browning butter is easy to make and takes no time so you better be there right next to it and do not leave it alone. Browned butter is simply cooking butter until it is nutty with bold flavor.
- Cut butter into tablespoons and place them into your pot over medium heat. Stir consistently to ensure even cooking.
- The butter will melt and foam then bubbles, keep stirring.
- In about 7 minutes butter will turn amber brown with some bits at the bottom of the pan. Remove immediately and pour into a heat proof bowl.
- Refrigerate the browned butter until it solidifies, it takes about 1 hour.
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- Try this beginners level Easy Coconut Macaroons Without Condensed Milk that needs only 5 ingredients! A delightful balance of sweetness and flavor.
- Irresistible Chocolate Chip Blondies to satisfy your sweet cravings any time of the day. These are so simple to make and are great for lunch boxes as well as a fancy after dinner dessert with a scoop of ice cream.
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Middle East Cookies Recipes
- Maamoul is a traditional Middle Eastern cookie made usually filled with date. It has a soft texture and a delicate flavor.
- Petit Fours are traditional Egyptian cookies buttery, mouthwatering cookies filled with jam.
- Barazek are nutty Syrian cookies mildly sweet with one side dipped in pistachios and the other side in sesame seeds. Easy to make and perfect for quick treat and in lunch boxes.
More Tahini Recipes
- An easy and versatile tahini halva recipe, this is also called Halawa in Egypt. A tahini fudge like treat that is often enjoyed for breakfast.
- Tahini pasta is a quick delicious vegan pasta recipe or a side dish. This creamy lemony tahini pasta sauce is a wonderful alternative to the traditional tomato pasta sauce.
- This lemon herb tahini is the perfect blend of tangy lemon, fresh herbs, and nutty tahini. A delicious twist to the classic tahini sauce that will add a burst of flavor to everything on the table.
- Craving something creamy and delicious? Try making this tahini sauce recipe! With some simple ingredients and just 5 minutes of your time you'll create a healthy, perfect dip, spread, or salad dressings.
If you like this recipe do not forget to give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and attach a photo of your finished dish. It is always a pleasure of mine to see your photos and check your own take of the recipe. Thank you.
Tahini cookies Recipe
Tahini cookies are like enjoying Halva in a cookie form. A delicious and nutty twist on traditional cookies, made with simple ingredients.
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Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 87kcal
Ingredients
- 1 stick (115g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes.
- ½ cup tahini paste well stirred
- ½ cup (105g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (90g) brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (135g) all-purpose flour.
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Optional:
- Sesame seeds Or sea salt for sprinkling on top.
for chocolate chip tahini cookies:
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips or chunks bittersweet or semisweet
Instructions
Brown the butter:
- In a light-colored pot or skillet add cubed butter and melt over medium heat.
- The butter will start foaming, stir the butter for the next 5-7 minutes until you notice brown bits at the bottom of the pot and you’ll smell the nutty aroma.
- Remove from heat and pour into a dish then refrigerate until it solidifies. This will take about an hour.
Make the cookie dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, spoon the butter. Beat the chilled butter for 1 minute until smooth.
- Add the sugars and beat well.
- Pour in tahini then add egg and vanilla extract then beat to combine.
- Add just one tablespoon of the milk and mix well, keep the other one if you feel the dough is not moist enough.
- In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well. Note1
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove cookie dough from refrigerator and scoop batter into balls pressing lightly on sesame seeds if using.
- Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Cookies will spread. Note2
- Bake anywhere from 8-10 minutes on the middle rack of your oven. Remove from oven when the edges are lightly brown and the middle is still pale.
- Allow to firm up on the cookies sheet for a couple of minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Allow the cookie sheet to cool completely before adding another batch of cookies.
Video
Notes
- Note1: I’ve divided my batter into two halves and added about ¾ cup of semisweet chocolate chips to one of the halves while covering the other half with sesame seeds.
- Note2: These sorts of cookies spread so do not panic, just give them room so they come out nice and rounded. A 2inch cookie bakes into almost 4 inches one.
- Please check the nutrition disclaimer policy.
Nutrition
Calories: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
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Nena
Amira
If I want to replace the butter with something non-dairy, what do you suggest?
Can I use solid coconut oil or butter alternative instead and omit the step to brown the butter?
Amira
Nena, unfortunately I haven't tried that yet. But here is a link of vegan butter substitute I hope it will help. I am guessing that coconut oil will alter the taste a bit so maybe you can get away with using vegan butter. Please let us know if you try it. Thanks
Zak
A fun way to find out both my sons have a sesame allergy. Oops! Yikes! (They are good though!)
Amira
I couldn't believe it either when I first discovered that one of my boys is allergic to sesame. It was through a falafel wrap and since then he refuses to eat falafel** sigh**
Cheryl Salem
OMG I just tried those tonight for my halva loving husband. I made half with chocolate chip and sea salt. the other half I made with crushed pistachios as my husband loves halva with pistachios. These were so good I will sure be making this again and again.
Amira
Cheyl dear, this looks amazing. I can see you've used the trick I told you about :). Thank you for the picture dear. I am so happy you husband liked them and I will try adding the pistachios.. this is a great idea.