Tahini Shortbread Cookies
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 26 to 28 cookies
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 27 servings
- Calories
- 105
- Total Fat
- 7
- Saturated Fat
- 4
- Carbohydrates
- 9
- Dietary Fiber
- 0
- Sugar
- 4
- Protein
- 1
- Cholesterol
- 14
- Sodium
- 51
- Total: 2 hr 40 min (includes cooling time)
- Active: 30 min
Ingredients
Cookies:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (see Cook’s Note)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Glaze:
5 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more if needed
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup well-stirred tahini
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Flaky sea salt and toasted sesame seeds, for topping
Directions
Special equipment:
a 2-inch round fluted biscuit cutter- For the cookies: Whisk the flour, cornstarch and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Cream the butter, granulated sugar, tahini and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until well combined. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a disc. Cover with the plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Arrange oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Roll out the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. Use a 2-inch round fluted biscuit cutter to stamp out cookies; transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Repeat 2 times with the scraps.
- Bake until the cookies are set and just the slightest golden brown around the bottom, 9 to 11 minutes. Let sit on the baking sheets for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
- For the glaze: Meanwhile, whisk the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, tahini and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup or high-sided glass big enough to dip the cookies into. (The glaze with be thick. Add more heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time to thin out if desired.)
- Dip a cooled cookie into the glaze until half of it is covered. Return to the wire rack and repeat with the remaining cookies and glaze. Sprinkle flaky sea salt and sesame seeds over the glaze. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Cook’s Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)