Uniquely amazing cookies with rich tahini flavor. If you make them with sugar, they are vegan and a little more crunchy. If you make them with honey to make them for Greek fasting or a vegetarian version, you have the taste of tahini and the rich aroma of the honey. You can decide of your own, because I couldn’t choose between these two, which is my favorite.
The ones with sugar reminded me that I was eating something like halva (the one with tahini of course). T one batch I put sesame inside the dough and I liked it very much, but the sesame on the outside have a beautiful appearance. If you really like sesame, then cover the entire surface of the cookie. I also made some plain because not everyone in my family likes sesame very much.
Don’t be afraid to make a double batch of these cookies because they’ll disappear very quick.
I make them 4 batches total. In 2 batches, I used light brown sugar and in the other 2, honey and I really didn’t end up with which I prefer most and they are my most favorite. The only sure thing is that they disappeared very quickly. They are ideal for accompany your tea or your coffee.
Almost every Saturday me and my friend go to the farmer’s market to buy fresh vegetables and fruits. Then, we always have coffee and chat in a coffee shop near there. These cookies were the perfect accompaniment to our Saturday coffee. As you can understand, I took them with me in a small container because they can’t offer us something gluten-free. The good part is that in almost every coffee shop or restaurant, when I have explained what is the “coeliac disease” that I have, they let me have my own gf cookies or gf bread, that I took from home.
Why I make my cookies squares? Because I ordered from the internet a metal “Π” shaped mold, special for making square cookies. But being restless spirit that I am, as well as and quite inventive, something that I inherited from both my parents, I wanted anyone to be able to make square cookies, without special molds, without expenses and also having every cool gadget, you need more and more kitchen cabinets to stuff all these and sometimes you’ll use it only once.
If you also want square cookies without special molds, see how I did it, after the end of the recipe.
Tip: Check off the ingredients you have used in the recipe or note the ingredients you have and add the rest to you shopping list to buy them. - Attention: All ingredients must be checked that are Gluten-Free and without traces of gluten.
Abbreviations: g=grams • kg= kilograms • cup=250 ml • tsp= teaspoon=5 ml • tbsp= tablespoon=3 tsp=15 ml • ml= millilitre= (1ml=0.034 fl oz / 1fl oz=29.6 ml) • l=litre/liter=1000ml
In a large bowl, mix the melted vegetable butter with the tahini, the vanilla extact and the sugar or honey until combined. Mix everything together with a spoon or spatula until all the ingredients are well combined.
In another bowl, mix the flour with the cornstarch/cornflour, xanthan gum and salt.
Sift the gluten-free flour mixture into the liquid mixture in 3-4 portions. Each time mix well with a spatula until it is homogeneous.
If the spatula becomes difficult you when at the end, then knead it by hand. The dough should not be sticky to the touch.
Wrap the dough with greaseproof paper and then with cling film in a shape of a stick/log. It will be easier to give the shape now, so roll it into a round stick with diameter about 5 cm/2” inches and 20 cm/7 ¾ inches long. If you want them square, like me. (* see below the trick I did for square cookies). Put it in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until solid and be easier to cut.
As soon as you take the dough out of the fridge, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Cut your stick of dough in slices of about 0.8 cm / 1/3 inches thick. It will make 25 cookies.
Dip the 2 edges of the cookies in the sesame seeds. Or if you prefer, dip all the cookie for covering entire surface. Place them onto the lined baking sheets. Leave space between them of about 1 cm/ ½ inch.
Bake at 180°C/350°F for about 14 minutes until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for around 10 minutes. Because they are still very soft, you can separate them if need it.
After 10 minutes when they have cooled enough, transfer them to a rack and let them to cool very well before serving them. I put the rack on top of the parchment paper because some sesame seeds fall out as our cookies cool.
Keep the cookies in airtight container in a cool and dry place for about 20 days. As the days go by, they soften a little.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large bowl, mix the melted vegetable butter with the tahini, the vanilla extact and the sugar or honey until combined. Mix everything together with a spoon or spatula until all the ingredients are well combined.
In another bowl, mix the flour with the cornstarch/cornflour, xanthan gum and salt.
Sift the gluten-free flour mixture into the liquid mixture in 3-4 portions. Each time mix well with a spatula until it is homogeneous.
If the spatula becomes difficult you when at the end, then knead it by hand. The dough should not be sticky to the touch.
Wrap the dough with greaseproof paper and then with cling film in a shape of a stick/log. It will be easier to give the shape now, so roll it into a round stick with diameter about 5 cm/2” inches and 20 cm/7 ¾ inches long. If you want them square, like me. (* see below the trick I did for square cookies). Put it in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until solid and be easier to cut.
As soon as you take the dough out of the fridge, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Cut your stick of dough in slices of about 0.8 cm / 1/3 inches thick. It will make 25 cookies.
Dip the 2 edges of the cookies in the sesame seeds. Or if you prefer, dip all the cookie for covering entire surface. Place them onto the lined baking sheets. Leave space between them of about 1 cm/ ½ inch.
Bake at 180°C/350°F for about 14 minutes until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for around 10 minutes. Because they are still very soft, you can separate them if need it.
After 10 minutes when they have cooled enough, transfer them to a rack and let them to cool very well before serving them. I put the rack on top of the parchment paper because some sesame seeds fall out as our cookies cool.
Keep the cookies in airtight container in a cool and dry place for about 20 days. As the days go by, they soften a little.
- For square cookies I did the following trick. I used a package box from parchment paper/cling film/aluminum foil and lined the inside with parchment paper. Then I filled it with the dough, pressing it very well and firmly. I wrapped it with the greaseproof paper and then with film and put it back into box so that it will keep its shape while it’s in the fridge.
- Cookies with the sugar (vegan ones) become a crispier and the dough firmer. If you are not vegan and add honey then the dough becomes more soft.
- Make a double batch of these cookies because they’ll be gone in no time.
- If you make them smaller, therefore more, you should reduce the baking time a little depending on the size. Or if you want to make them bigger, you should increase the time baking.
- Every oven heats different. My new oven is slower than the old one. The time I’m giving in every recipe is approximately. Watch them as they baking and adapt the time.
Good Luck and Bon Appétit!!!
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