Sesame and Brown Sugar Cookies
One of the ingredients in these cookies is Tahini. Have you guys ever had it? Tahini is a sesame seed paste and has a consistency similar to peanut butter.
If you’ve ever had Hummus, Tahini paste is what gives it that rich flavor. I’m not sure why, but it was on my mind one day and I wanted to try using it in a baked good- these cookies are the result! You can usually find Tahini in the same aisle as peanut butter at your local grocery store. It could also be in the “ethnic foods” aisle (not sure what food wouldn’t be “ethnic”?).
The first step to these cookies is browning butter. This step bumps up the nuttiness of the Tahini flavor in the cookies.
Don’t walk away!
You’ll melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Make sure you choose a pan that is not black on the bottom (you want to be able to see the color of the butter changing). Once the butter melts, watch for the milk solids to turn to a dark brown color. Do not, I repeat, do NOT take your eye off the butter. Browned butter turns into burnt butter real quick (trust me, I’ve done it!). At this point, take the butter off the stove and put in the bowl of a stand mixer or whatever mixing bowl you’ll be using to combine your ingredients.
Add the Tahini to the same bowl. Let that mixture cool for 15 minutes. In the meantime you can gather the rest of your ingredients. Put the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl and mix with a fork (or your hands). This would also be a good time to line your cookies sheets with parchment paper and put the sesame seeds on a small plate (you’ll be rolling the dough in the seeds later).
Once the 15 minutes is up, turn on the mixer and blend the melted butter and Tahini. Add the brown sugar and mix until smooth. Add the vanilla and egg and mix until combined. Then add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir the dough a few times by hand.
Chill the dough in fridge for 30 minutes. While it’s chilling, preheat the oven to 350°.
Once the dough has been chilled, roll it into into 2″ sized balls. Roll each ball in the sesame seeds before placing on the cookie sheet.
Cookie in camouflage
Arrange 10 of the seed-covered balls on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 14 minutes. The cookies are done when they are golden, slightly cracked on top and still a little gooey in the center. While the first sheet is baking, you can work on covering the rest of the balls and arranging on another cookie sheet. We want to make one sheet at a time to ensure they are evenly baked.
Bake the second sheet of cookies and enjoy! These cookies would be great with a nice cup of black tea or some creamy coffee.
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Ingredients
- 11 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons)
- 3 tablespoons Tahini
- 1 3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
Instructions
- Brown the butter and add to a mixing bowl with the Tahini. Let that cool for 15 minutes.
- While the mixture is cooling, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a bowl and combine with a fork. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Once the 15 minutes are up, mix the Tahini and melted butter together.
- Add the brown sugar and mix until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and mix until flour is almost combined. Finish combining the flour by hand.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and form unto 2" balls.
- Roll 10 balls in the sesame seeds and arrange on the parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake about 14 minutes.
- While that sheet is baking, roll the rest of the dough into balls and cover with sesame seeds. Arrange these balls on the second cookie sheet.
- The cookies are done with they are crackly on the top, golden but still slightly gooey in the center.
- Bake the second batch for about 14 minutes.