Tahini Cookies

I love bonus days. Today was mine. It is a day that you were not expecting because you thought you were doing something else – and at the last minute everything changes. Sometimes those last minute changes work out for the better, and you get your bonus day.

So what did I do with mine? I mostly spent some quality time in the kitchen. Catching up on some cooking that should have been done earlier in the week. And making these little treats. Now these are what I would call an acquired taste. My girls were so excited that I was baking in the kitchen – but after one bite, my little one was not sold. Sesame paste is definitely a taste that grows on you, and it hasn’t grown on her just yet…but I thought they were delicious – and certainly different. I found this recipe in Bon Appetit, and it hardly sat in my pantry for a week. Thank goodness for bonus days. If only I could figure out how to get more of them…

Makes about 24

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons honey
¾ cup tahini
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350°. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, sugar, and honey in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in tahini, then add dry ingredients in 2 batches, beating after each addition until fully combined. Dough will be slightly sticky.

Place sesame seeds in a small bowl. Scoop out heaping tablespoons of dough (about 1 oz.) and roll into balls. Dip tops of balls in sesame seeds, pressing to adhere, and place, sesame side up, on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2″ apart. Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until golden brown, 13–15 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets (cookies will firm as they cool).

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