My tahini sugar cookies are rich, buttery, and just sweet enough, with the unmistakable toasty flavor of tahini! You can make these soft and chewy no-chill treats in about 20 minutes for a satisfying baked goods moment with no fuss.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my salted chai peanut butter cookies, too!
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Featured Reader Review
★★★★★
"I'd never baked with tahini before, but this is now my favorite cookie in the whole world! They're nice and chewy and light with a really great flavor."
-Shawnta
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Quick and Easy - This recipe for the best tahini cookies ever comes together lightning-fast because there's no need to chill the cookie dough. Pop them into the oven for about eight minutes, and you're in business!
Simple Ingredients - You'll need just a handful of ingredients, like flour, sugar, butter, and, of course, tahini--and you probably have most of them in your pantry already!
What do tahini cookies taste like? You'll taste rich, buttery sweetness with notes of roasted sesame seeds, creamy vanilla, almond, and a hint of molasses. The outside is crisp, and the inside is chewy and soft without being gooey.
👉🏾 I love putting a twist on classic cookie recipes. Check out my chai pumpkin snickerdoodles, peanut butter and jelly thumbprints, spiced oatmeal raisin walnut cookies, and bourbon chocolate chip cookies with walnuts next!
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What You'll Need for this Recipe
Tahini in cookies adds a slight bitterness that balances out the sweetness perfectly and gives the cookies a complex taste. Use single-ingredient pure tahini for the best results.
Almond Extract adds a nutty flavor note that complements the tahini so well.
Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar produce a cookie that has a tender texture but enough structure to hold together. These are really a pleasure to eat!
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Sesame Seeds - Make your cookies with black sesame seeds or with white sesame seeds--or omit them altogether. I like to do half the cookies with sesame seeds and half without.
Shape and Size - This recipe makes about two dozen cookies that are about 3 inches in diameter, or you can divide the dough into half as many jumbo cookies. You can also bake up the dough in a square pan and cut it into cookie bars.
Vegan - Use plant-based dairy-free butter and an eggless egg substitute to make your sesame tahini cookies vegan.
How to Make Sugar Cookies Using Tahini
- Step One: Cream the butter and sugars together until fluffy, then mix in the tahini, eggs, and extracts. (Photo 1)
- Step Two: Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, leavening agents, and salt in another bowl. (Photo 2)
Pro Tip #1
For the best results, use either a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar.
- Step Three: Hand stir the wet and dry mixtures together until just combined with no dry pockets. (Photo 3)
- Step Four: Scoop the dough into balls and roll some of them in sesame seeds until coated (optional). (Photo 4)
- Step Five: Place the balls of cookie dough onto a lined sheet pan, leaving two inches of space between each one. (Photo 5)
- Step Six: Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until golden brown. (Photo 6)
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.
Yes. To freeze the cookie dough, scoop it into portions on a sheet pan as if you were about to bake them, then leave the pan in the freezer until the dough is solid (about one hour). Transfer the frozen balls of dough into a zip-top freezer bag or an airtight, freezer-safe container, then back to the freezer. It will keep for up to five months.
To freeze baked cookies, cool them to room temperature, then layer in an airtight, freezer-safe container with pieces of parchment to keep them from sticking together before freezing. Once frozen, they'll last for three months.
How to Serve
Temperature: These sesame almond cookies taste great at room temperature, but are best when warm--in my opinion.
Pairings: Pair tahini paste cookies with a cold glass of milk or a mug of warm spiced cinnamon tea or coffee. During the holiday season, we love these cookies with peppermint hot chocolate or cookie butter white hot chocolate!
Occasions: These cookies are perfect for Fall baking projects or winter Christmas cookie exchanges. Leave them out as cookies for Santa, or add to your Christmas cookie tins, and watch them disappear. 😊
More Recipes for Christmas Baking
Looking for more recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy these sesame tahini cookies soon and very soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Soft & Chewy Tahini Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour sifted or fluffed (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or two teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy (about three minutes).½ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Add the tahini, eggs, and extracts, and mix until smooth (about two minutes), pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is fully incorporated. Add in the flour mixture and stir by hand until just comnbined with no dry pockets. Ad the dough comes otgether, it will beocme tougher to stire but keep at it!¼ cup tahini, 2 eggs, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste, ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Scoop the dough with cookie scoop and shape it into a ball before rolling it in sesame seeds until coated (optional) and placing onto the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with remaining dough, leaving at least two to three inches between each cookie.½ cup sesame seeds
- Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 8 minutes or until cookies are golden brown with just-set edges. Allow them to cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes beofre serving.
Alexandra says
This immediately became one of my favorite cookies! Savory, sweet, chewy, salty. The sesame seeds add a little extra texture I’ve never had in a cookie. This is going into rotation!
My notes: Careful not to over bake like I did my first pan. These will be hard to improve upon, but next time I will try adding orange zest and a little cardamom.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Alexandra! Thank you for your feedback--this is one of my favorite cookies, too. 😊 The orange zest and cardamom sound like delicious additions.
Shawnta says
I’d never baked with tahini before, but this is now my favorite cookie in the whole world! They’re nice and chew and light with a really great flavor. Thanks Jazz!
Jazzmine Woodard says
You're so welcome, Shawnta! Glad you enjoyed.
Yadira says
Soft and chewy describes theses perfectly. I love the brown sugar instead of white sugar and, of course, the tahini taste!
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for you feedback Yadira, and I'm glad you enjoyed!
Kara says
sugar cookies will forever be one of my favorites. I love the tahini twist you added!
Becca says
Yum! These look so tasty... and such a pretty shape! I’ll definitely have to make these for a Christmas 🙂
danielle says
I no joke just pinned these this yesterday! I cannot wait to make these sugar cookies. I don't think I would have thought to put tahini in them, what a great idea!
Danielle
momwifefoodie.com
Felicia @ The Starving Chef says
Never thought to use tahini in cookies - these sound yummy!
Alexandra T Armstrong says
I must live under a rock because I've never heard of tahini and have no idea what it tastes like. Curious now. Have to pin this!
Blushy Darling says
I love sugar cookies but I've never thought of putting tahini in it.. The taste will be quite interesting 😉 Need to try it
Miranda (@spkyhalloween) says
I love the flavor of tahini and never would have thought to add them into cookies! What a fun recipe for the holidays.
Kaylyn Johnson says
These look super tasty! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’ll definitely be taking this recipe to the annual candy making night my family has for Christmas!
asia says
Yay I think I found what kind of cookies Santa will be eating this year. Thanks for the simple Recipe.