How to Make Sesame Tahini Cookies (Ka’ak bi Tahini)

Tahini cookies are a home-baking classic in Lebanon and across the Levant. Ground sesame paste takes the place of butter, so the cookies are rich, sandy and nutty with a light toasted bitterness that keeps them from tasting too sweet. Many families bake a batch during Lent, when dairy and eggs are avoided, and keep them in a tin for visitors who drop by for coffee.

These cookies are closer to ghraybeh, the Lebanese shortbread, than to a chewy American cookie. They should break cleanly and melt as you bite. Rolling them in toasted sesame seeds doubles the sesame flavor and gives a pretty, crunchy coat.

Ingredients

• 125 g (½ cup) tahini, well stirred
• 100 g (½ cup) sugar
• 60 ml (¼ cup) neutral oil or light olive oil
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) orange blossom water, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200 g (1⅔ cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 to 3 tbsp (15 to 45 ml) water, as needed
• 60 g (½ cup) sesame seeds, white or a mix of white and black

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan, until light golden and fragrant. Tip them into a shallow bowl to cool.
3. In a large bowl, beat the tahini, sugar, oil and orange blossom water with a spoon or whisk for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and slightly thick.
4. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Add it to the tahini mixture and stir, then knead briefly by hand.
5. The dough should be soft and hold together when pressed, like play dough. If it is crumbly, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. If it is sticky, add a spoonful of flour.
6. Roll the dough into about 20 balls of 25 g each (the size of a walnut).
7. Roll each ball in the toasted sesame seeds, pressing gently so they stick.
8. Place them on the baking sheet 3 cm (1 inch) apart. Flatten each one lightly with your palm or the bottom of a glass to about 1.5 cm (½ inch) thick.
9. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the bottoms are light golden. The tops will still look pale and feel soft.
10. Leave them on the tray for 10 minutes to firm up, then move them to a rack to cool completely. They crisp as they cool.

Tips for the best tahini cookies

• Stir the tahini jar well before measuring. The oil separates and the bottom can be dry.
• Use a pale, smooth Lebanese tahini. Dark or bitter tahini makes bitter cookies.
• Do not overbake. Pull them when the bottoms are golden, even if the tops look underdone.
• They are fragile when warm, so handle them only once cool.

Variations

• With honey: replace the sugar with 85 g (¼ cup) honey and add 2 to 3 tablespoons more flour. They will be softer and brown faster, so check at 10 minutes.
• Gluten-free: use 200 g (2 cups) almond flour instead of wheat flour and leave out the water. Bake 12 minutes.
• Thumbprint: press a dent in each cookie before baking and add a small spoon of carob molasses or jam after baking.

How to serve and store

Serve with tea, Arabic coffee or a glass of cold milk. Keep in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 10 days. The dough also freezes well: freeze the sesame-coated balls and bake them straight from frozen, adding 2 minutes.

Since tahini is the main ingredient, use a good one. Al Yaman Factories in Saida and Alameddine Foods both specialize in tahini and sesame products.

Frequently Asked Questions