Oat and Tahini Cookies Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

SharonATX

Since most of the comments aren't actually about making the cookies, I'll chime in: they're not that great. A bit dry--400 is probably too high given the amount of time they're in total (try maybe 375). I'd also crumble the halva a bit instead of leaving it as a chunk. I'm usually a diehard Ottelenghi-er, but his recipes for the NYTimes haven't been showstoppers. The chocolate chip tahini cookies that JM featured a while back are much better.

Nicole

Question: has anyone made both is recipe and the Salted Tahini cookie recipe? If so, which did you prefer?

Lindsay

Any one tried using gluten free flour?

Heidi

These are delicious! I had to use up some walnuts so I toasted them, chopped and added them to the dough. I put the chocolate in a food processor and broke into tiny bits, then also added to dough instead of drizzling on top. Scrumptious! I imagine hazelnuts might be even better and will try next time!

Debra

These look yummy but can't do gluten or hazelnuts. Anyone tried a gluten free flour or other nuts?

Carol

Trader Joe sells roasted skinned hazelnuts.

K

I think chopped or slivered almonds would be tasty with halvah. Usually cookies turn out very well with GF flours, since you don't want much gluten development in cookies anyway. These should work particularly well because the quantity of flour is small and the tahini and oats will help stick everything together. You could use a prepared GF flour mix, or make your own by grinding (GF) oats in the food processor and adding a little tapioca or corn starch and a tiny amount of xanthan gum.

Lisa Wilson

We made these and they were delicious! Our only complaint was removing the skins from the hazelnuts. Find them skinned if you can. Other than that this recipe is relatively easy and the cookies come together quickly. Make sure you know your grocery store carries Halvah so you don't waste a trip. We had a little difficulty finding it but were successful.

Every one of our guests loved these cookies! There were none to spare>

RMH

I can’t beleive how good these turned out - I didn’t use the halvah or the chocolate drizzle and I think they’re my new favorite cookie. The orange zest and tahini are perfectly balanced and compliment each other. A really excellent cookie.

Caroline

Extremely delicious, deep, toasty, nutty flavor! Made substitutions in order to use up pantry items.-Miyoko's dairy free butter-Demerara sugar in place of brown-Walnuts in place of hazelnuts-No orange zest-Dark chocolate halvah-Chocolate chips mixed in to dough-Refrigerated dough for 10min-Baked at 375 for stated time

Highland Rob

I wanted to offer a new G-free dessert for Christmas gifts this year. I made these yesterday for a manager at the day Spa where I work part-time. I like that they are chewy and not overly sweet. I had never heard of "halva" and went to Amazon, saw the cost and definitely will not be adding this during the baking process. I substituted roughly chopped toasted pistachios. Not for everyone, but appreciate the easy substitutions. I used a #40 scoop in portioning. WISH the NSF # would be included.

Sunny

Gorgeously delicious take on the usual oatmeal cookieAgree about 370-375 for oven and def. on middle or upper rack I love orange zest with lavender so added 1tbs fresh from my garden - excellent!Also love coconut so I used coconut sugar in place of brown sugar 1/3 cup shredded coconut No hazelnuts so winged it- 1/2 C. Chopped, roasted, salted cashews/pistachiosNervous that batter was too wet, so added 1/4 C. Coconut flour, which was alright!1/2 C. Choc chips instead of halvah and drizzle

Will Camisa

Baked at 400 and they burned. Recommend trying 375.

NTL

No halvah where I live. What can be substituted?

CL

Made this recipe on my cookie quest. Cookies are OK, but I was underwhelmed.The orange zest is nice touch.Salted Tahini Chocolate Chip is better cookie, at least for us.

A.H.

Reduce sugar. Added choc in rather than drizzling. Toasted sesame. Full zest of orange even for half batch. Lime zest would be killer and less cheap tasting than orange.

Refrigerate your dough!

These come out WAY BETTER if you refrigerate the dough!!

Sheila

I replaced 1/2 c oats with unsweetened shredded coconut, and added chopped dried apricots to a quarter of the dough, and topped another quarter with dried sour cherries (I had neither halvah nor chocolate on hand). Reduced white sugar to 1/4 c and they were sweet enough for me. All turned out quite tasty. This is a very flexible recipe.

Heidi

These are delicious! I had to use up some walnuts so I toasted them, chopped and added them to the dough. I put the chocolate in a food processor and broke into tiny bits, then also added to dough instead of drizzling on top. Scrumptious! I imagine hazelnuts might be even better and will try next time!

Ayla

I always love Ottolenghi's recipes and his food is out of this world. However, I often simplify his recipes when I'm in a hurry and want to cook/bake something tasteful. So I used crispy buckwheat seeds instead of toasted sesame seeds, some macademia and cashew nuts instead of peeled hazelnuts, a handful of cranberries and I also added chocolate chips in the dough. So I skipped the halva and melted chocolate part of the recipe. Amazing result: these cookies are soft inside yet crispy!

RMH

I can’t beleive how good these turned out - I didn’t use the halvah or the chocolate drizzle and I think they’re my new favorite cookie. The orange zest and tahini are perfectly balanced and compliment each other. A really excellent cookie.

Susan Margaret

Absolutely delicious! Used part butter, part coconut oil. Baked at 375 F., as 400 was too high in my oven. Others must have made much larger cookies to only get 20; I used a small scoop and got 4 dozen - the size was just right. Used a 1.5 oz bar of halvah cut into small cubes, and that was as much as I needed. Did not use the chocolate drizzle; these cookies are wonderfully rich and flavorful enough on their own. Love the suggested variation of almonds (or mac nuts) and guava paste; must try.

Jennie

These are some of my favourite biscuits and get rave reviews each time I make them. Not too sweet, nutty and complex flavours. Perfect crunch too, love them thanks!

PCP

Responding to a comment, most cookie recipes will NOT take kindly to just having any old GF flour substituted in. Flavor matters, and having xanthan gum in it, or add some. (I used Authentic Multi-blend, and it worked out well since it has xanthan.) Tahini and oats won't bind the dough sufficiently. But this recipe was not Ottolenghi's finest, IMHO. It came out too wet (due to Joya tahini?) before baking, a bit too dry after. The whole should have been amazing, but wasn't.

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Oat and Tahini Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my homemade oatmeal cookies hard? ›

Not Enough Moisture: Ensure you're using the right amount of butter in your recipe and that it's at the correct temperature (softened not melted) when you start. Oatmeal cookies require more moisture to stay soft. Consider adding an extra egg yolk or a touch of milk to your dough to enhance moisture content.

Why are my oatmeal cookies so dry? ›

There are several reasons why the cookies may have become dry and crumbly but the two most likely are that either the cookies were baked for too long or too much flour was added to the dough. The cookie should be baked only until the edges are slightly golden and the top looks a little wrinkled.

Why are my oatmeal cookies gummy? ›

Adding too many eggs can result in gummy, cake-like cookies. Adding too few eggs can result in dry, crumbly cookies.

Why are my oat cookies soft? ›

Moisture: Soft and chewy oatmeal cookies contain more moisture than crunchy ones, which gives them a more tender texture. The moisture also helps to keep the cookies from drying out, so they stay fresh for longer.

What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›

If you enjoy your cookies soft and chewy, chances are likely the recipe contains a common ingredient that serves a very specific purpose. No, it's not granulated sugar, nor the butter. It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch.

What ingredient makes cookies harder? ›

Baking powder

Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate and acidic salts. The reaction of these two ingredients results in a cookie that is soft and thick, but slightly harder.

What adds moisture to cookies? ›

Add Molasses or Honey Another way to add more moisture to your cookies is incorporate a tablespoon of molasses into a standard-sized cookie recipe. Don't use any more than a tablespoon, because it will make your cookies very sweet and runny. One tablespoon is just enough.

How do you moisten oatmeal cookie dough? ›

Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

How do you fix hard oatmeal cookies? ›

Here's what you need to do: Snuggle ¼ slice of bread per dozen cookies into the bottom of the container (use plain white bread, since it won't transmit any flavors). Allow to let sit covered for 24 hours, and replace the bread as needed, every time it starts to get stale.

Why did my oatmeal cookie turn green? ›

*Sometimes, but not always, the natural chlorophyll in sunflower seeds reacts with baking soda, causing a green color inside the cookies after they cool. This is completely harmless! Depending on the recipe you can reduce baking soda by about one third or a splash of lemon juice may help prevent any “greening”.

How do you tell if oatmeal cookies are done? ›

Easy to Notice Signs:
  1. Golden Brown Edges – Check the edges of the cookies for a golden brown colour. This indicates that the cookies have caramelized and are likely done. ...
  2. Set Centres – Gently touch the centre of a cookie. ...
  3. Light Cracking – Look for light cracks on the surface of the cookies.
Oct 18, 2023

What makes cookies fluffy and not flat? ›

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

How do you soften homemade oatmeal cookies? ›

Soften Them Up! The best way to soften up those hard cookies is something you probably already have in your kitchen… bread! That's right, a piece of fresh bread will make those tough treats soft and chewy.

How do you make oatmeal cookies soft again? ›

Just wrap a cookie or two in a damp paper towel and then put them in the microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds. The moisture from the paper towel should soften the cookies right up. So if you wonder how to soften hard cookies quickly? Microwave is the way!

Why are my cookies hard instead of chewy? ›

According to The Kitchn, this occurs when you over-mix the dough. Mixing the dough naturally causes gluten to develop in the flour, and while you do need a good amount of gluten to give your cookies structure, too much of it will result in hard cookies.

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