Tahini cookies (halva cookies)

[shain]

Made with tahini paste (part of it wholemeal), butter, honey, vanilla, flour, cornstarch, some salt (no eggs). Topped with toasted almonds. 
 

Those has a strong nutty sesame flavor, the vanilla and honey round it with a floral note and just enough sweetness to feel like a treat. The salt gives a gentle kick.

Texture wise, those are like a pate sablee, with slightly sandy melt-in-the-mouth creaminess. Those are some of my favorite cookies to eat, but I rarely make them.

 

 

Makes 23-25 small cookies, can be doubled as long as it fits in your food processor.

 

• 135 g flour
• 40 g cornstarch (you can use finely ground almonds instead, if you do, reduce apx 10g tahini)
• 30 g sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 70 g cold butter, cut into cubes
• 40 g honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon butter extract (it's not a must, use if you have it on hand)
• 110 grams tahini paste (if you want, you can use part or wholemeal tahini. Whatever you do, make sure to choose a good tahini, with a strong nutty flavor, and a gentle sweetness, avoid tahini with notable bitterness)
• 1/2 tablespoon water
• 25 small toasted almonds (peeled or unpeeled) - You can also use toasted pistachios (tastier, but not as pretty) or spread toasted sesame seeds

 

• Preheat oven to 170 deg C.
• In a food processor mix together flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt and baking powder.
• Add butter, honey, vanilla and butter extract.
• Blend in pulses until the mixture is a slightly grainy powder and seems uniform.
• Add tahini and water.
• Process until dough begins to form.
• Transfer mixture to working surface or a wide bowl.
• Using hand or spatula, fold together once or twice to form a dough.
• Create small balls and place them on a baking pan lined with a baking sheet.
• Slightly flatten each ball to an apx 1/2 inch (1cm) height. The cookies will not flatten further during baking.
• Push an almond into the top of each cookie. (Alternatively, roll cookies in sesame seeds prior to flattening)
• Bake for about 18-20 minutes, until just very lightly golden.
• Let cool completely.