Honey-less Honey Tahini Cookies
If you have a hankering for something satisfying and a little sweet, these rustic little gems are both gently crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. The recipe for these cookies is a loving nod to the classic middle eastern barazek. The only downside is that they are so rich and satisfying and not-so-sweet that you might accidentally eat about 10 in one sitting. Not that we’re speaking from experience! They are also vegan, gluten-free, refined-sugar-free, and very simple to whip up in about 25 minutes.
Ingredients
½ cup sesame seeds
1 ½ cups almond flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
⅓ cup Just Date Syrup
⅓ cup Seed + Mill tahini
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats. In a flat bowl or pie plate, place sesame seeds across the bottom in a thin layer. Set aside.
Mix the almond flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whip the date syrup, tahini, and vanilla, and almond extract. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and with a spatula incorporate the ingredients roughly. With your hands, lightly knead the dough in the bowl until it is uniform in color.
Roll the dough into balls the size of large marbles in your hands, and then roll them in the sesame seeds. Place the dough balls onto the baking sheets and flatten them gently under the palms of your hand to about ¼ inch thick. Arrange them, so they’re about 1 inch apart. They don’t spread that much.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, switching the sheets top to bottom and vice versa halfway through. They will be done when they are slightly golden at the bottom. Transfer the cookies to a rack and let them cool.
Makes 24 1 ½ inch cookies.
Adapted by Caitlin Heinz from a recipe in Food & Wine