Wholesome Tahini Cookies (Gluten-Free)
I titled these cookies "wholesome tahini cookies" as opposed to "healthy tahini cookies," because if I give a food a "healthy" label, that would mean that consequently, another food would have to be labeled as "unhealthy;" I don't like characterizing food in that way.
No food is "bad" (when I say food I mean FOOD and not food that isn't actually food [that was fun], so please don't go to town on a tub of crisco and wash it down a bottle of food coloring - PLEASE). No single food will cause a nutritional deficiency in your body. Granted, one food may be more nutrient dense than another, but that doesn't make the less nutrient dense food "bad." (I realize there are lots of quotation marks in these paragraphs, but they're helping me make my argument more effective. I hope you understand.)
So, back to these cookies. These are WHOLESOME tahini cookies. And they're so, so good!
The cookies don't contain any gluten, sugar (honey, yes, but not sugar), dairy, or oil. Not that I think those things are "bad," no no no. It's just that some people seem to be afraid of them (if you're allergic, I'm not talking to you here - you fear is justified).
Besides for the incredible taste of these tahini cookies, my (and my family's) other favorite thing about them is their texture. Now, the original recipe calls for flattening the cookies almost completely before baking, which results in a crispy, crunchy cookie. But me? I like my cookies CHEWY. Like workout-for-my-jaws chewy.
If you like soft, chewy cookies just like me (twins!), only flatten them slightly before baking like I wrote in the recipe instructions. I also slightly decreased the amount of almond meal that the cookies were originally supposed to have, which is another factor that contributes to the chewy texture. (Chewy, chewy, chewy. I thought I'd say it three more times, for a total of eight "chewy's" in these two paragraphs.)
Also, please note that your cookies should not look as dark as depicted here. Camera coloring issues (my fault, not the poor camera's fault...)
Wholesome Tahini Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Adapted from ANJA SCHWERIN
Yield: About 20 smallish cookies
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 1/3 cups almond meal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup honey (add a tablespoon if you want it a little sweeter)
1/3 cup tahini
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cream the honey, tahini, and vanilla extract. (I found that a food processor works best for these cookies. It should work by hand too).
Combine the almond meal, baking soda, and salt and add to the wet ingredients. Mix till combined.
Spread the sesame seeds on a plate. Round a heaping teaspoon of dough between your palms, then roll it in the sesame seeds to coat. Flatten SLIGHTLY. Repeat for the rest of the dough.
Bake for 8 minutes. The cookies won't look ready, but they will continue baking and setting on the sheet after they're removed from the oven.
On a completely unrelated note, I thought this one fit well with the recipe, seeing as it was all "wholesome" and what not:
PHOTO FROM DUMPADAY.COM
