Tahini Cookies - Give Recipe (2024)

Published: · Modified: by

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

Have you ever used tahini in a cookie recipe? This Vegan Tahini Cookies Recipe is a perfect chance for you to try it. No butter, no eggs and the cookies come together really fast with only 4 ingredients. They are melting in your mouth and you will be amazed with the nutty flavor coming from tahini paste.

We have shared several amazing Turkish desserts here before and today, it's time for these Turkish tahini cookies! They are super soft, crumbly and melting in your mouth. Want chocolate chips and tahini together? Check out our tahini chocolate chip cookies!

Tahini Cookies - Give Recipe (1)

Cookies in Turkey are mostly crumbly. The crumblier, the better. If you like this kind of cookies, you should see our sesame cookies and apple cookies, elmali kurabiye too!

Tahini in Savory or Sweet Recipes

Although tahini is mostly identified with classic hummus or vegan tahini dressing recipes, it is a wonderful twist when used in dessert recipes too.

While making cookies with tahini is quite usual in Turkish cuisine, I know it sounds weird to most of you. If you are familiar with melting moments cookies and love them, tahini cookies will become one of your favorites too because they are equally soft and melting in your mouth. Unlike melting moments cookies recipe, this one doesn't call for butter. It is substituted by a combination of olive oil and tahini.

How To Make

These cookies are completely vegan because the cookie dough has neither eggs or butter. Did I tell you that we only need 4 ingredients?

Ingredients for these tahini cookies without butter:

  1. all purpose flour
  2. powdered sugar
  3. tahini
  4. olive oil

This is a stupid easy cookie recipe, so you have no excuse not to try it. All you need to do is to combine all the ingredients and shape them into balls. You can measure dough using a tablespoon so that all the balls are at the same size. Then bake until slightly golden.

The important tip you need to know here is that you should let them cool completely in the baking sheet. They are too soft and if you try to grab one before they cool, it will crumble.

I love these tahini cookies as they are. Not overly sweet and with a nice color. Are you one of those who love their cookies really sweet? Taste one and if you think they need a bit more sweetness, dust them with powdered sugar. This step is completely optional.

Although I love the simplicity of this recipe, I sometimes add one more ingredient to the dough: walnuts. ½ cup of crumbled or ground walnuts go really well with other ingredients. While walnuts are wonderful, you can get creative about this one additional ingredient. Finely chopped pistachios, almonds, pine nuts or even dried fruit would be great too.

Tahini Cookies - Give Recipe (2)

Can I Freeze Them?

These ingredients make 50 mini cookies, so it's better to freeze half of the dough especially if you are not baking these for a crowd. There are two ways for this:

1) divide the dough into two and put one half in the freezer. Let it thaw on the counter when you are ready to bake, roll it into balls and then bake.

2) Shape the whole dough into balls. Bake one batch and place the rest of the raw cookie balls on a tray and freeze for about 30 minutes. Then transfer them into a freezer bag and store in the freezer. Let them thaw and then bake whenever you crave for something sweet and nutty.

How To Store

Keep them in an airtight container and enjoy up to 5 days. If you love to have something sweet with your coffee, having a box full of these melting-in-your-mouth cookies on the counter is priceless.

Oh and if you know how to make Turkish coffee, go make some and spoil yourself with a cup of coffee and one or two (or more!) tahini cookies on the side.

More Tahini Desserts

  • Baked Tahini Halva
  • Homemade Almond Milk Ice Cream
  • Turkish Tahini Sesame Cookies
  • Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter

As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!

Sign up for the FREE GiveRecipe Newsletter to get the new recipes into your inbox! And stay in touch with us on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram for all the latest updates.

Print

📖 Recipe

Tahini Cookies Vegan

Tahini Cookies - Give Recipe (7)

Print Recipe
★★★★★5 from 1 review

Tahini cookies with 4 ingredients. No eggs, no butter. These are melting in your mouth!

  • Author:
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 50 cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Turkish
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale

  • 2 and ½ cup flour
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ¾ cup tahini
  • ½ cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven at 350F (180C).
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Combine all ingredients and make a soft dough. Roll it into mini balls and place them on the baking sheet.
  4. Bake them until they get slightly golden about 20 minutes.
  5. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet.

Notes

Don't try to transfer them on a cooling rack before they cool completely as they are too soft to hold.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 57
  • Sugar: 2 g
  • Sodium: 1.4 mg
  • Fat: 4.2 g
  • Trans Fat:
  • Carbohydrates: 4.7 g
  • Protein: 0.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: tahini cookies, tahini cookies recipe, tahini cookies vegan

Tahini Cookies - Give Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why use tahini in baking? ›

BENEFITS OF USING TAHINI IN BAKING

It has a creamy texture and a high (healthy) fat content which also means that it binds easily with other ingredients, especially if they have high fat content too, making it rather versatile.

Can I use tahini instead of butter in baking? ›

NUT BUTTER

Rich, tasty and nutrient-dense, nut butters like almond, cashew, peanut and tahini make excellent butter substitutes for baking and cooking.

What is tahini made from? ›

Tahini is made of three ingredients: hulled sesame seeds, oil and sometimes salt. Hulled sesame seeds are typically toasted then ground and emulsified with oil to create a smooth, creamy seed butter with a pourable consistency.

What does tahini replace in baking? ›

Substitute butter with tahini in cookies

No more last-minute grocery runs when you're rushing to make cookies for a bake sale. Use tahini instead of butter in chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal raisin cookies. Replace every ½ cup of butter with a ½ cup of tahini and 1 tablespoon of water.

Is tahini good or bad for you? ›

Tahini is a tasty way to add powerful antioxidants and healthy fats to your diet, as well as several vitamins and minerals. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and its health benefits may include reducing risk factors for heart disease and protecting brain health.

Is tahini more healthy than peanut butter? ›

Is Tahini healthier than peanut butter? They're about the same. Tahini is a little less calorie-dense than peanut butter. But that doesn't mean it's healthier, just that you can eat a little more of it.

What can I replace butter with in cookies? ›

13 Substitutes for Butter in Cookies and Other Baked Goods
  1. Margarine. nitrub/Getty Images. ...
  2. Shortening. Liudmila Chernetska/Getty Images. ...
  3. Olive and Vegetable Oil. Liudmila Chernetska/Getty Image. ...
  4. Coconut Oil. Inna Dodor/Getty Images. ...
  5. Vegan Butter. YelenaYemchuk/Getty Image. ...
  6. Mayonnaise. ...
  7. Pumpkin Puree. ...
  8. Applesauce.
Apr 6, 2021

Why is homemade tahini bitter? ›

Bitterness is generally part and parcel of tahini - it's how ground sesame seeds taste. What you will find, however, is that some tahini can taste more bitter than others. This is down to a few things; like how that particular tahini is processed, or the levels of something called oxalic acid in the hulls of the seeds.

Should I refrigerate tahini? ›

Do you need to refrigerate tahini? We recommend storing your tahini in a cool and dry area, away from heat and moisture. Ideally, a pantry a cabinet would be ideal. Like peanut butter, you can also store tahini in the refrigerator if you like it thicker.

What pairs well with tahini? ›

Tahini is a staple in North African, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean (Greek, Turkish, Israeli) cuisines, and it pairs well with eggplant, cilantro and yogurt (all popular in those cuisines, as well).

How long does tahini last in the fridge? ›

“Once the tahini is mixed with water, you're supposed to refrigerate it,” Zitelman says, “but it doesn't last for more than five to seven days in the fridge.”

Why is tahini so healthy? ›

Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds. It's rich in important nutrients like fiber, protein, copper, phosphorus, and selenium and may reduce heart disease risk and inflammation. What's more, test-tube and animal studies suggest that sesame seeds may have anticancer properties.

Why is tahini so delicious? ›

Why does Tahini taste so good? - Quora. Tahini is a combination of pulverized, roasted, hulled sesame seeds, a light tasting neutral oil, and a little salt. It's smooth and creamy. Tahini has a delicious toasted nutty taste.

Why is tahini not vegan? ›

Because it's made with sesame seeds, which, of course, come from a plant and not an animal, tahini is vegan. It's as simple as that. That said, there are sometimes other ingredients, like oil and salt, added to the store-bought versions.

Does tahini taste like peanut butter? ›

How Does Tahini Taste? Tahini has a very earthy flavor and is slightly bitter, but not overpowering. Although the spread resembles peanut butter and other nut butters, it does not have a similarly sweet flavor profile. The toasted sesame seed flavor shines through in this creamy, rich ingredient.

Is tahini better than peanut butter? ›

Tahini with unhulled sesame seed contains more phytonutrients than peanut butter, and, for many people, is easier to digest than almond butter. Tahini is also a versatile ingredient because it's flavor is more neutral than most nut butters. Few people have seed allergies.

Why is tahini better than peanut butter? ›

Tahini has a nutty and slightly bitter taste, while peanut butter is sweet and nutty. Why is tahini so healthy? Tahini is considered healthy because it's a good source of healthy fats, protein, and essential minerals. It's also rich in antioxidants and vitamin E, which support overall health.

Is tahini better for you than almond butter? ›

Tahini and almond butter are both filled with healthy fats, and have a decent amount of fiber. Their low carbs make them great options for keto recipes, and of course relatedly they're low in sugar. (Which is never a bad thing.) Almond butter is a little better in protein, and is also a great source of vitamin E.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Velia Krajcik

Last Updated:

Views: 6370

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (74 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Velia Krajcik

Birthday: 1996-07-27

Address: 520 Balistreri Mount, South Armand, OR 60528

Phone: +466880739437

Job: Future Retail Associate

Hobby: Polo, Scouting, Worldbuilding, Cosplaying, Photography, Rowing, Nordic skating

Introduction: My name is Velia Krajcik, I am a handsome, clean, lucky, gleaming, magnificent, proud, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.