Slightly sophisticated, these sesame butter cookies are simple cookies that work any time of the year or on a holiday platter. Not complicated. No chill time. Tahini, honey, and toasted sesame seeds, in a soft almost shortbread-like cookie. You will not be disappointed.
The perfect cookie recipe
... that is not chocolate chip.
Butter and tahini come together with a little bit of honey for sweetness and flavour to make the perfect cookie for sharing. I love these cookies on holiday cookie platters because they are just a bit different and just a bit less sweet than the "usual" cookies. A nice break from the candied and coated cookies.
This recipe comes from Bon Appetit magazine. And this is my recommendation to make it.
More cookie recipes you might like
Ingredients in Sesame Butter Cookies
Tahini
Also known as sesame butter. Tahini can be found near the peanut butter in most grocery stores, or sometimes in the special dietary or organic sections. It should be unsweetened and made just with sesame seeds. No extra oil. A good tahini is smooth and creamy. Easy to stir and taste butter, not too bitter. Sesame seeds do have a bit of an earthy taste to them.. so expect that, but not bitterness. Bitterness is an indication of old or rancid product.
Like any nature seed or nut butter, you may find a layer or oil sitting on top of your tahini. It is best to stir that in before measuring for this recipe.
Tip: Store unopened jars of seed and nut butter upside down. This way when you do go open and have to stir in that layer of oil, the oil is on the bottom! making it much easier to work into the jar.
Sesame seeds
Sesame seeds are most often found untoasted. And you probably want to buy them untoasted unless you plan to use them immediately, toasted seeds will go rancid quickly.
Below I've included instructions for toasting your sesame seeds. Be careful here though, sesame seeds will burn very quickly.
How to toast sesame seeds
In a dry skillet on low heat, add the sesame seeds and stir gently for a few minutes. Remove from heat and into a small dish or bowl as soon as the seeds begin to toast and are fragrant. It will only take a few minutes. Be careful as they will go from toasted to burnt in seconds. Set aside these will be used for the cookie topping.
Honey
There really is no substitute for honey in this recipe. If you have a rare or local honey available, this is the time to use it.
Butter
Have you read the controversy over Kirkland butter this year? 2023 may go down as the year Kirkland ruined holiday baking.
The best butter brand is a personal thing. Many bakers, myself included, have a go-to brand. I've always avoided store brands. I tend to go to Gay Lea. I like its quality and it is readily available for me locally where I live in Canada. Lantantia is my second go-to.
Store brands, while they can be great, I have found they can be inconsistent. So when butter matters, as it does in cookies, I go for the brands I trust. Yes, they usually cost a bit more.
What happens when you use cheap or low-quality butter?
There may be more water in the butter than normal and your cookies and pastries may not stick together. Cakes can be heavy and dense. Or fall apart.
Cookies and other baked goods could be greasy and oily feeling. A simple recipe like this Christmas Crack can be completely ruined by low-quality butter.
Butter will impact the flavour of baked goods. A good quality butter will not be noticeable directly in most baked goods. But use a lower quality butter and your cookies may have a weird, artificial butter-like taste that will overpower all others.
So can you use a plant-based butter?
Yes - but be careful and you may want to experiment to find one that you like. I've noticed that plant-based butter is easier to find these days and can be much less expensive than name-brand dairy butter. You can use a plant-based butter if you like. I like the varieties that are made specifically for baking. Look for a product that is "unsalted, for baking." Typically, these varieties have less moisture, the flavour profiles are getting better and the result is a final baked good that is pretty close to the same baked with dairy butter. These are usually found in the refrigerator case next to the dairy butter. And again, there are more options than ever before, find one you like. I'm still experimenting with these and not quite ready to recommend a specific brand.
How to make Sesame Butter Cookies
Get out all your ingredients. Let the butter and tahini soften and come to room temperature. Toast sesame seeds if needed and set aside in a small bowl. Measure dry ingredients into a small bowl and set aside. Line baking sheets with parchment. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
See this post for tips on how to measure flour for baking cookies, muffins and quick breads. How to measure flour....
Start with softened butter and beat in sugars and honey until creamy and smooth. The mixture should be light and fluffy. This will take several minutes. Beat in tahini.
Mix in dry ingredients on low speed until fully incorporated.
Take scoops of the cookie dough and roll them into uniformly sized balls. Press each ball into the bowl of toasted sesame seeds. Please cookies, seeds side up on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 for about 13 minutes or until cookies have browned slightly at the edges and completely flattened.
These are delicate cookies, let them completely cool on the baking sheet before moving them.
Once cooled, cookies will keep at room temperature in a sealed container for several days. Freeze if needed for longer storage up to 3 months.
๐ Recipe
Sesame Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
- ยพ cup unsalted butter 1-ยฝ sticks, softened, you can use a plant-based butter for baking if desired, I like Becal for baking
- ยพ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ยพ cup tahini
- ยผ cup toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Toast sesame seeds, if necessary:
- If your sesame seeds are not yet toasted, you can toast them yourself. Otherwise, skip this step. In a dry skillet on low heat, add sesame seeds and stir gently for a few minutes. Remove from heat and into a small dish or bowl as soon as the seeds begin to toast and are fragrant. It will only take a few minutes. Be careful as they will go from toasted to burnt in seconds. Set aside these will be used for the cookie topping.ยผ cup toasted sesame seeds
Make cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt together. Whisk gently to mix evenly. Set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a large bowl using a stand mixer or a hand-held electric mixer, on medium speed, beat butter, sugar and honey until light and fluffy. About 3 minutes. Beat in tahini. Then add dry ingredients, a little at a time, beating after each addition until fully combined. The dough will be sticky.ยพ cup unsalted butter, ยพ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons honey, ยพ cup tahini
- Place sesame seeds in a small bowl if you have not already done so. Scoop out heaping tablespoons of dough (about 1 oz.) and roll into balls. I used my kitchen scale to weigh the dough for evenly sized cookies. Press the tops of the cookie balls in sesame seeds. Place cookie balls sesame side up on the prepared baking sheets, about 2" apart. Bake cookies 13-15 minutes, until golden brown. Let cookies cool on the baking sheets 15-20 minutes. Cookies will firm up as they cool. Then transfer to a wire rack. These are delicate cookies. Handle gently.
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