When we were in Egypt (eons ago, it seems), I had come across a recipe for sesame cookies online and tried making them. They came out so awesome, alhamdulillah. One of the local bakeries sold them there and I had tried them once. However, these puppies came out so great that our joke was, these were as good as the bakery's except they (ours) weren't burnt.
Unfortunately, I no longer have the recipe (I think it was from a Jewish/kosher site) so I was surfing the web for recipes in hopes of recreating those little gems.
I came across this one, and finally made them. They were a hit, alhamdulillah. Everyone (except my youngest, 3, loved them--I think they were too sesame-y for her) but they were good and "melted" in your mouth.
Sesame Cookie Recipe
These Israeli sesame cookies are light buttery with a fresh, nutty flavor. Use freshly made tahini paste with a little bit of vanilla bean for the best results.
- 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1/3 cup sesame seeds
- Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside
- Beat together the butter and sugar until just creamed, beat in the tahini and vanilla
- Slowly add in the flour mixture, stirring constantly until the dough is moist and crumbly
- Form the dough into a large ball and wrap in plastic, refrigerate for 1 hour
- Spread sesame seeds out on a plate, roll the chilled dough into small balls and coat in the sesame seeds
- Arrange the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 minutes
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before moving, store in a covered container for up to a week.
