Argh, I can’t believe summer is coming to an end soon (at least for me). I have had the most glorious summer 50% working on Mint and Sumac, 25% exploring Seattle, 10% exercising, 10% playing Stardew Valley, and 5% socializing. Also fit “reading to hit my goodreads challenge” somewhere in this breakdown. But soon (as in 2 weeks soon) I am going to go back to being a real adult and start working full-time again. So in the last few weeks, I have been trying to maximize my socializing time and catch up with all my friends before I disappear into long commutes and book-me-4-weeks-in-advance schedules.

With that spirit, last week, I had two friends over for Turkish coffee at 1:30pm on a Thursday (soon unimaginable scheduling) and made these tahini cookies and boy, they were delicious. Turkish coffee is generally served with a sweet bite like a cookie or Turkish delight. This helps balance the strong flavor of coffee and cleanses your palate. My goal was to find a tahini cookie recipe that melts in your mouth because I think it pairs perfectly with the texture of Turkish coffee. When I saw this recipe from Mamaleh’s on Bon Appetit, I knew I had to try it. These cookies have a texture very similar to shortbread cookies and they are also a little soft and chewy inside thanks to the tahini (I think I drooled a little just thinking about it).

Tahini is one of the staple ingredients in my pantry. For those of you who might not be familiar with it, tahini is basically sesame paste. I use it for dressings, sweet spreads, baked goods, mezes, smoothies, so basically everything. Its creamy texture and versatile taste that works in both sweet and savory dishes makes it a popular ingredient in my kitchen. Nowadays, you can find tahini at almost all grocery stores. Look for it in the baking or nut butters/spreads aisle.

Tips:

I highly recommend dipping these cookies into sesame seeds as the recipe suggests. You can even mix in some black sesame seeds. But, if you want to try something different you can also dip them in crushed walnuts or pistachios.

Do not overcook these tahini cookies. When you take them out of the oven, they might look a little undercooked but they harden as they cool.

Yields: 18-24 cookies Time: 40 minutes

Recipe from Bon Appétit by Mamaleh’s in Cambridge, MA

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup tahini

3 tablespoons honey

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup sesame seeds

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Beat the butter, sugar and honey in a bowl, until creamy. Add in the tahini and mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

3. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.

4. Add the flour mix into the wet ingredients, slowly, in 2-3 batches, mixing after adding every batch. I mix the dough with my hands to make sure all the ingredients are combined well.

5. Pour the sesame seeds in a small bowl.

6. Scoop approximately 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball in your hands. Press gently with your palm to flatten the dough a little. Dip one side of the dough into sesame seeds. Place the dough, sesame side up, on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

7. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown. Let the cookies cool before serving. Serve with a cup of coffee or black tea. Enjoy!