So easy to make, and extremely irresistible, these Tahini Shortbread Cookies enriched with nutty tahini are buttery, perfectly sweet, and will have you coming back again and again
The first time that I heard about these Tahini Shortbread Cookies was from my sister, Jenn. I’ll preface that with the fact that she has amazing taste in literally everything, so when she raved about these cookies, I knew I had to try to recreate them.
The beauty of these cookies is that they’re incredible simple to mix up. Even the measurements are really simple to remember!
Two really important tips to make great Tahini Shortbread Cookies:
- Get really good quality ingredients. Unbleached all purpose flour, great raw tahini paste, and high quality European style butter.
- You HAVE to chill the cookie dough after you’ve scooped it onto a parchment lined plate. The dough is really soft, and absolutely needs about an hour to firm up in the fridge before baking. If you skip this step, your cookies will flatten out immediately when they hit the hot oven.
How could these humble, unassuming cookies be SO perfect and addictive?! They are. And you have to make them.
How to bake with Tahini
Wait, is this your first time baking with tahini?? Let’s discuss. As you know, tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds, and is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine. When you’re buying tahini, make sure to get raw tahini paste in shelf-stable jars, with no additives or flavorings. One of my absolute favorite brands of Tahini is Seed + Mill, available online or in many Whole Foods grocery stores.
I’ve been eating tahini my whole life, but it just so happens to be a very trendy ingredient right now. Most recipes use it in savory dishes, mixed with garlic, lemon juice, etc. But baking with sweetened tahini is all of the sudden SO rich, but not too sweet. That’s the thing with these cookies, they are perfectly (not overly) sweet and they keep you coming back to the cookie jar again and again.
The recipe only has a few ingredients, so you want to make sure that you go for really good quality products. For example, I knew that these shortbread cookies get their richness from the butter, so I went with European grass fed Kerrygold brand butter. You want to make sure to really cream the butter and sugar. I’m not talking one minute, or even three. I let mine go for a full 5 minutes until it’s really pale in color and fluffy. This makes a really irresistible, melt in your mouth texture.
How to store
This cookies will stay super fresh and delicious for up to 3-4 days when stored in an airtight container. We have a beautiful pottery cookie jar in our house, so that’s where I keep mine. It’s not 100% airtight, but honestly, the cookies don’t last that long anyway.
Remember to tag me when you post a pic, I LOVE to see which recipes you’re making from the blog @lions.bread #lionsbread !
If you love this recipe, be sure to check out
Pistachio Shortbread Cookies, and Nutella Swirl Cookies
Recipe adapted from Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking by Michael Solomonov
Tahini Shortbread Cookies
buttery melt in your mouth tahini shortbread cookies that you'll make again and again!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 sticks, 7 oz. unsalted butter, 200 g room temperature
- 1 c sugar, 200 g
- 1 c tahini paste, 250 g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 c all purpose flour, 250 g
- 1 tsp kosher salt, 6 g
- 1 tsp baking powder
Instructions
Combine the butter and sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed or in a large bowl with a hand mixer and mix until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the the tahini and vanilla extract and mix until well incorporated. Scrape down the bowl, the mix again to ensure tahini is combined.
In a medium sized separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the tahini mixture and beat until just combined. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the dough onto a plate lined with parchment paper in heaping tablespoon size rounds. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. [Option to freeze the cookie dough balls for up to 3 months]
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place the cookies on the prepared pans. They don't spread much, so feel free to place them close together. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are light brown, and the center is set. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week, although I can guarantee they will not last long 🙂
The post Tahini Shortbread Cookies first appeared on Lion’s Bread Blog.
val says
Mine fell flat; any suggestions? The batter tasted great, but the end product was not only flat, but a bit dry. Thinking maybe I didn’t whip the butter and sugar long enough.
LeAnne says
Hi Val! Sorry to hear that, was your butter too warm? It is really important to beat the butter and sugar well to get a nice smooth texture. They are a fairly delicate cookie, and should be a little golden on the bottom, but pale on top. Over baking may make them crumbly. Hope that helps 🙂