Tahini Snickerdoodles
The humble snickerdoodle’s flavor profile is small but mighty.
They’re made of a simple sugar cookie base that gets rolled in more sugar (and cinnamon of course)-- and what’s better than that? This tahini snickerdoodle is the sweet, shy girl in your class who reinvented herself and has a successful “grown-up” job, but she’s really down to earth and is always nice when you run into her at parties. She’s in touch with her roots but she’s not afraid to try new things and switch it up. I hope that I’m someone’s tahini snickerdoodle, but I think she’s cooler than I could ever be.
This recipe starts with a very easily adaptable base that gets seriously elevated with just a few additions. Up first is the star of our show: tahini; a rich and creamy sesame seed paste. Since the base of this cookie is such a blank canvas, the addition of tahini adds a toasty, nutty depth of flavor. A scant eighth of a teaspoon of cardamom adds a warm whisper of spice that’s a little more complex than just cinnamon alone. Those two additions completely transform these simple cookies! Even with all of that excitement, their true crown jewel is the layer of spices, turbinado sugar, and sesame seeds that encrust them.
Makes approximately 36-40 cookies.
Ingredients:
½ cup butter, softened
⅓ cup tahini
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
¼ teaspoon almond extract*
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons cream of tartar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cardamom
For rolling:
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar**
1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
¼ cup milk, set aside (plant based works too!)
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl combine turbinado sugar, cinnamon, and sesame seeds. Set the mixture aside for rolling.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream butter, tahini, sugar, eggs, and almond extract.
In a medium bowl sift flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt.
Add the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture in thirds; mix gently between each addition.
Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon scoop rounds of dough and roll them into balls.
Quickly dip dough into milk, shake off excess, then immediately roll in sugar, cinnamon, and sesame mixture.
Place two inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 13 minutes***. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the sheet for at least 10 minutes.
Grab a glass of milk or a cup of tea (or a warm chai latte, anyone?) and get in there!
Tips and tricks:
* I opted for almond extract in this recipe to enhance the nuttiness of the tahini, but feel free to use vanilla or omit extracts entirely! They will be delicious either way.
** Simply substitute granulated sugar if you don’t have turbinado.
*** As with many recipes with short baking times, this may fluctuate depending on your oven. If yours runs especially hot check them after about 9-10 minutes.
