Bon Appetit’s Tahini Cookies

In case you haven’t heard, everything everywhere is all about the seeds, and these black sesame seeds are at the top of the hot list. Seeds add texture and appeal to baked goods, and they are pretty darn good for us, too.

These cookies have sesame paste (aka tahini) on the inside and black sesame on the outside. I’m a sucker for anything tahini these days.

There is a secret ingredient in here, too. Ready for it? Pine nuts. The nuts get ground up and used like flour. They also add a nice fattiness to the cookies, so we only have to use 1/4 cup of butter as a result (which is good because that’s about all I had left in the fridge…gotta re-stock). Most cookies call for a lot more butter than 1/4 cup. You are welcome.

Do note that the texture of these cookies is on the harder, more crumbly side (not chewy), but in the best possible way. You’ll love ’em.

Ready, set, seed!

If you have a food processor, throw everything in and pulse. Don’t have one? Neither do I. Follow my directions below for the blender and mixer method.

Bon Appetit’s Tahini Cookies

from the November 2014 issue, online here

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup tahini

1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 a stick or 4 tablespoons), room temperature

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For rolling:

2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

2 tablespoons granulated or demerara sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pulse flour, pine nuts, powdered sugar, tahini, butter, and salt in a food processor until dough forms a ball around blade.

*Don’t have a food processor? I pulsed my the flour, pine nuts, and powdered sugar in the blender. Then, in my mixer, I beat the room temperature butter with the tahini and salt, added the dry mixture and beat until the dough came together.

Chill the dough for about 15 to 30 minutes to make it easier to handle when rolling.

Mix black sesame seeds and granulated or demerara sugar in a small bowl. Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sesame seed mixture. Place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart, and flatten slightly. Bake cookies until lightly golden, 20–25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking time.

Tags: black sesame, bon appetit, cookie, dessert, pine nut, pine nuts, sesame, snack, tahini