My son cannot eat peanuts. So when Trader Joe’s put the Tahini on the end cap display by the checkout, it inspired me to make my sweet boy some cookies that he could eat! I had never had Tahini before, so I didn’t know what to expect.
The tahini cookie batter consistency was just like that of a peanut butter cookie.
I rolled the batter into balls, and I used a meat beater in order to see what the pattern would look like, but then decided to dip the fork in water and press – the old fashioned way.
The result was a crispy wafer tahini cookie, which rivaled a peanut butter cookie (in my humble opinion). But regardless, he didn’t have an allergic reaction to them, so that’s a win in my recipe book!
My daughter wanted to make sandwich cookies, so we made a vanilla filling. Honestly, I was already happily eating the crunchy tahini goodness with a glass of homemade cashew milk, but she was persistent. The kids often inspire my recipes, because I bake to not only make them healthier gluten-free vegan treats, but also to avoid allergic reactions.
On the other hand, my son, my husband, and I prefer chocolate EVERYTHING, so I pulled a jar of the Best Vegan Chocolate Sauce from the fridge. It’s thick and spreadable, so I used it as a filling! FYI – I didn’t spread and leave the sandwich cookies sitting out, because we ate all of them before I could blink! However, I’m afraid the sauce would melt if you did. I would fill the tahini cookies right before eating each one, or keep them in the fridge. 
Gluten-free and vegan deliciousness!
A crunchy gluten-free and vegan tahini cookie – 1/2 cup (~1 stick) vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
– 3/4 cup tahini butter (I used Trader Joe’s) – 1/2 cup coconut sugar – 1/2 cup maple sugar (I use Coombs Family Farms Maple Sugar from Fresh Thyme, but you can use brown sugar too)
– Egg replacer for 1 egg (1 ½ teaspoon Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water) – 1/2 teaspoon gluten free pure vanilla extract – 1 cup all-purpose gluten free flour (I used Namaste Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend) – 3/4 teaspoon baking soda – 2 tablespoon melted vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
– 1 tablespoon almond milk (or any non-dairy milk) – 3/4 – 1 cup powdered xylitol or confectioner’s sugar Follow the recipe for the Best Vegan Chocolate Sauce.
Ingredients
Sandwich Cookie Filling (Optional)Vanilla Filling:Chocolate Filling:
Directions
The chocolate filling: if you chose to make the chocolate filling click here for the recipe,
it's best to prepare this the night before or at least a couple hours
before in order to let it cool and firm in the fridge so that it is
spreadable.Heat oven to 350 degrees.Heat your water for the egg replacer - I used a tea kettle.Add vegan butter, tahini, and both sugars to a mixing bowl.Cream with the paddle attachment for the mixer until they are well combined.Switch your attachment for your mixer to a regular beater.Prepare your egg replacer. Add egg replacer and vanilla, and mix on medium speed until combined.Shape 1 ½ - 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball.Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.Place dough balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.Make a design on your cookies with a small dish of warm water and a fork. Dip the fork's tines in water each time before you press. You can also try the meat beater to make a pattern, but it wasn't as pretty.Bake for 18 - 20 minutes until they are brown; rotate the baking sheets between the oven shelves halfway through baking (at ~9 minutes).The vanilla filling: If you chose to make the vanilla filling, make it while they are baking with a hand mixer. Mix the butter and non-dairy milk slowly adding the powdered xylitol (or powdered sugar) 1/4 cup at a time, mixing until smooth. You may need extra xylitol until it thickens well or matches your desired level of sweetness.When cookies are finished baking, transfer them to a wire rack to cool.Once they have cooled, fill them with icing if desired (refrigerate any remaining sandwich cookies) unfilled cookies, or in an airtight container at room temperature.
