By Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff

Tahini cookies are nutritious as well as easy to make. There are only eight ingredients in this recipe, one of them being tahini which is sesame butter made out of sesame seeds. Sesame seeds are very nutritious. They are high in protein content and contain ‘good’ unsaturated fats which lower our bad cholesterol and promote heart health. Also, specific antioxidants found in sesame seeds support healthy blood vessels and blood pressure.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ to ½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup vegan butter (such as soy spread)
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoon honey or maple syerup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup tahini

First, sift the flour with the baking powder in a mixing bowl and add salt. Set the bowl aside. Place the vegan butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand-up electric mixture or in a large mixing bowl. Cream together butter and sugar for a few minutes till they are fluffy and well-integrated. (If you are doing this task by hand, it will take a bit longer). Add the honey or maple syrup, vanilla and tahini and mix them well. Then, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined, but do not over mix. Gather the dough to make two balls or oblong shapes and place them in a zippered plastic bag or a container with a well-fitting lid. Refrigerate to chill for one hour or longer.

When ready to bake, set the over at 350 degrees to preheat. Line 2 or 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set them aside.

Take out the dough balls from the refrigerator. Work with one dough ball at a time. Divide the first dough ball into 12 to 15 small pieces. Then, take one of the pieces of dough and form it into a small compact ball, pressing it in between the hollow space of your palms. Then flatten the small ball to form a cookie disk and place it onto a cookie sheet. Repeat the process until all of the cookies are done. Arrange them on cookie sheet, leaving some space in between them.

Work with the other dough ball in the same manner and place all of the cookies on the other cookie sheets. (Typically, a cookie tray will hold 10 to 12 cookies). Bake the cookies in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes until they are slightly brown on the bottom. (The top will remain beige in color). Cool the cookies on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving them or packing them in a cookie jar. These cookies are great to serve as a light dessert after a meal or as a snack with the afternoon tea or coffee.

Makes 28 to 32 cookies. Note: Tahini is oily and sweet in its composition, so you need less butter and sugar in this recipe.

Recipe by Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff, copyright 2026. Shanta is a Sunset District resident and the author of “Cooking Together” and “Flavors of India,” available at Other Avenues Food Store at 3930 Judah St. Shanta writes recipes and articles on food and nutrition. She teaches vegetarian and vegan cooking classes at her home and gives cooking demonstrations for the public at SFPL branches frequently which you can find by viewing San Francisco Public Library’s event page. You can also view her recipes via videos on YouTube by searching Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff’s YouTube videos.