Ginger Tahini Cookies
If you’re a fan of ginger (like I am) you’re going to LOVE these cookies! They’re brilliant dunked into a hot mug of milky tea. If you’re not so big on ginger, though you can either reduce the amount or just skip it all together. Make sure you use hulled tahini, otherwise you’ll end up with very bitter cookies.
makes 4
takes: 30 minutes
100g (3.5oz) hulled tahini
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pure stevia powder*
1 egg
sesame seeds (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Line a cookie tray with baking paper.
2. Mix tahini well before weighing out. In a medium bowl, stir together tahini, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and stevia.
3. Stir in egg to form a wet dough.
4. Use a tablespoon to form into 4 balls and place on your prepared tray. Press on cookies to flatten slightly and sprinkle with some sesame seeds (if using).
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cookies are golden at the edges. Cool on the tray.
Variations
* important note about stevia! – there are 4 types of stevia:
1. Pure Stevia Powder – looks like icing (powdered / confectioners) sugar. It’s expensive but a tiny amount goes a long long way. We’re talking 1/4 teaspoon to sweeten a whole cake. This is what I use.
2. Granular Stevia (like Natvia or Truvia) – looks like regular white sugar. It’s a blend of erythritol and stevia. Usually 1/4 teaspoon = 4-6 tablespoons granular stevia.
3. Fresh or Dried Stevia Leaves – from a real stevia plant! I haven’t baked with them but they will behave similar to the pure stevia powder. Just add to taste.
4. Liquid Stevia – I haven’t used this. If you want to use it just add to taste.
sugar-lovers / budget / no stevia – replace stevia with 3 tablespoons white or brown sugar and expect the baking time to be slightly longer.
almond butter cookies – replace tahini with almond or other nut butter.
chocolate chip – stir in a handful of chocolate chunks or chips.
different spice – feel free to play around with the spice. A little mixed spice or pumpkin spice can be a nice alternative to ginger.
different quantities – can be easily doubled or quadrupled.
Shelf Life / Storage
Best on the day of baking. Can be kept for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge. Still edible for a few weeks in the fridge but will soften over time. Keeps for months in the freezer.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
hulled tahini – I keep mine in the pantry but will keep longer in the fridge if open.
baking powder / ground ginger / ground cinnamon / pure stevia powder / sesame seeds – keep them in the pantry.
eggs – will keep in the fridge for weeks or use for another meal.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
I made these cookies during the testing period for the recipe book and found them to be easy and quick to make and delicious to eat.
Today I also found the recipe to be quite robust after I made a serious mistake and it is relevant to Kari’s question.
I used tahini paste the first time. (Kari, that’s what I find works – paste.) Yesterday I made a quart of delicious thick tahini sauce and decided to use that to make cookies today. In retrospect it was not surprising that the “dough” was a very wet batter. Consequently, I added almond meal and gluten free flour to thicken it. I also added some more baking powder, spices and sweetener and hoped for the best (or at least not a disaster).
It was not a disaster! The cookies were very good but not quite a sweet as we would have liked. However, we spread some lingonberry jam on them. There were three of us to enjoy this delicious treat. The four cookies did not survive more than 30 minutes after their release from the oven.
Wow Murray! Thanks for sharing your baking adventure. Well rescued. When you say Tahini sauce what exactly was in that?
Jx
Hello Jules,
Thanks for your comments.
My Tahini sauce is based on the “Basic Tahina Sauce” from Michael Solomonov, owner chef of Zahav, my favorite restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has a coffee table type cookbook which is excellent.
The ingredients are
1 head of garlic
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
2 generous cups tehina
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
The final stages of the preparation involve using a food processor and adding ice water to the mixture. As I mentioned in my first note, the result was about a quart of tahini sauce.
Note: The garlic and lemon did not overpower the taste of the cookies but it probably explains why the lingonberry jam was a nice addition.
Solomonov emphases using high quality tahini paste. Fortunately, in the Philadelphia there is an excellent source that I use.
Here is an online variation based on his ideas:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/03/israeli-style-tahini-sauce-recipe.html
Here in southern New Jersey where I live we have lots of wonderful produce in season. At a farmer’s market this morning I found shishito peppers. I plan to toss them with a little olive oil, blister them in a very hot cast iron skillet for a few minutes, put them in a bowl and sprinkle a little sea salt. I’ll make a dipping sauce by simply mixing my tahini sauce with a little sriracha.
Your tahini sauce sounds similar to one I make Murray… will definitely check out the Zahav cookbook – sounds right up my alley!
Hi Jules!
What is tahini here? I thought it was sesame seed paste, but somehow that doesn’t make sense in this recipe…
Hi Kari
Yes Tahini is just a paste made from ground sesame seeds. I know it seems a little weird but it’s like adding flour and butter in one ingredient with the oils and solids. Trust me it works! I also make peanut butter cookies with similar results. Just make sure you stir the tahini well before using because if the oil has separated out you might end up with too much oil (or not enough)
Jx