Oh my goodness! We are already in December! I sure I hope I can get all “12 Treats for Christmas” 2021 done in time. Regardless, I will post as I make them, so please enjoy. This is our second Covid-state Christmas – let’s hope it’s our last Covid-state Christmas! I think this recipe is a perfect start to the 12 Treats series and will make a perfect addition to my sweet table, and hopefully yours! I promise (kinda) to keep my preambles short unless there are lots of steps/techniques/tips I want you to be aware of in the recipe.
I’ve been busy sifting through the sites for interesting treat recipes which I hope you will enjoy making and eating. My aim this time around is to take one cookie but do a couple of slight variations – sizes, shapes, add-ins etc. when I bake them. When I saw this cookie I immediately knew I had to do it. Tahini is one of my favorite tastes in sweet and savory applications – how could I resist. This is a lovely not too sweet, almost shortbread consistency cookie. I made them small – remember, I want you to try all 12 treats on the table. Originally from the NY Times site, I have adapted slightly and simplified as the original instructions were wordy (imagine, me saying somebody else is wordy).
The recipe called for black tahini and black sanding sugar. I could not find black tahini anywhere. I did have black sesame seeds in my pantry so I just ground them up in my spice grinder and added them to the dough portion. I clearly missed the black and ended up with grey, still marbled, but grey! Still tasty and delicious, but grey! I also couldn’t find black sanding sugar so used some appropriately seasonally colored coarse sugar – just a little for color and a bit of sweetness. Wash your hands, wear a mask, get vaccinated and above all stay safe! As always – enjoy!
Ingredients
385 g/(3 cups) all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp baking powder
225g/(1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
125g/(1 cup) icing sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature, plus 1 egg white – for 2 different parts of the recipe
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup plain tahini – don’t forget to stir it well before measuring and using
3 tbsp black sesame seeds, ground to a powder (use your coffee grinder)
20g/(4tbsp) coarse sugar – I used green, red and purple
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, salt and baking powder – set aside
Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter and icing sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed
Add the large egg and the vanilla; beat on medium-high – about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed
Add the flour mixture on low and beat until combined; then increase speed to medium and beat until dough starts to clump together, scraping bowl as needed
Bring the dough together into one piece – divide into 3 pieces
Return 2 pieces to the mixer bowl and add the plain tahini, and beat on medium speed until fully combined – remove and set aside
Put the smaller piece to the bowl and add and the ground black sesame seeds to the bowl and beat on medium speed until fully combined – bring together and remove from the bowl
Split the white dough into two pieces, place the darker dough in between the two and massage to mix and give that marbled effect
Divide the dough one more time into two pieces – roll one into a log about 1” diameter use the sheet of parchment to help shape the log – seal the ends and refrigerate
You can do the same with the other piece or shape it into a rectangle (as shown below in the finished cookies) or roll out and use cookie cutter shapes – why, well why not
Regardless of what you chose to do, chill for 3 hours or overnight before baking
The next morning, preheat the oven to 325f
Beat the egg white with a tablespoon of water to loosen it up
Paint the entire surface of the log, or as I did, just one stripe down the length of the log
Spread the sanding sugar onto a piece of parchment, press the egg white portion of the log into the sugar – make sure it is covered properly
Using a sharp knife, cut slices about 1/4” wide and place on a parchment lined baking tray – 1” apart
Repeat with the remaining dough or change it up to your liking
Bake for 14 – 16 minutes
Let cool for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely
Enjoy these plain or with a drink or two of your choosing
Well why not!
Add black sesame seeds to the white tahini dough
Add white sesame seeds to the darker tahini dough
Make them more festive by adding some silver dragees to the center of the cookie just as it comes out of the oven, pressing gently into the center
Rather than sanding/coarse sugar on the outside, coat the cookies in a black and white whole sesame seed mixture or a combination of sesame seeds and the sugar
