Flavorful vegan tahini cookies with the amazing flavors of cardamom and saffron! These are perfect tea-time cookies! Learn how to make these tahini cookies with detailed step-wise pictures.
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It’s been a while since I shared any cookie recipes. More than cakes, we love cookies, and my son enjoys them year around and loves to take them as snacks to school. You can find several eggless cookie recipes on my blog, and today, I will share our new favorite – tahini cookies!
I love the flavors of cardamom, saffron, rose, and pistachios. They always bring in a festive vibe. Do check out our gluten-free chickpea flour cookies and gulab jamun cookies. I am sure you will love them. So for these tahini cookies, too, I went with cardamom and saffron flavors.
What’s so special about these tahini cookies
- These cookies are vegan.
- We need only a bowl and spatula to make these cookies, and it’s super easy to make.
- The cardamom and saffron flavor adds such a festive vibe that you can make these cookies for Diwali and Holi.
- We don’t need any oil or butter for these cookies. Thanks to the creamy tahini that takes care of the role of oil/butter.
- These are perfect tea-time cookies. Bake them for 15 minutes so that you can enjoy dipping them in your chai.
Ingredients required
Flour – I used all-purpose flour for this recipe. But you can also use whole wheat flour.
Tahini – We need runny tahini for this recipe. If your tahini is thick, microwave it for 30 to 60 seconds.
Sugar – I used raw sugar crystals but powdered them with saffron and cardamom. Make sure the sugar is vegan.
Flavors – I used cardamom and saffron to flavor the cookies. But you can use vanilla essence, rose essence, or other flavorings of your choice.
Nuts- I used pistachios. You can use nuts of your choice, but feel free to skip for nut-free.
Oat milk:-As I want to keep these cookies vegan, I used oat milk. But opt for any milk of your choice.
Apart from these ingredients, we also need salt and baking powder.
Dietary specification and storage suggestion
These tahini cookies are vegan! Skip the nuts for a nut-free version. I have yet to try these cookies with a gluten-free flour option.
Once the cookies have cooled down completely, you can store them in an air-tight container for up to 5 days—no need to refrigerate.
How to make vegan tahini cookies
- In a coffee grinder, add the cardamom seeds and saffron strands.
- Add ½ cup of sugar and blend them into a smooth powder.
- Add powdered sugar with cardamom, saffron, and tahini in a mixing bowl.
- Mix the tahini and sugar well using a spatula or a hand whisk.
- Now gently mix the other dry ingredients – all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Add 3 to 4 tbsp of oats milk and form the cookie dough. If required, add one more tbsp of milk. Do not add all the milk at once. Make sure there aren’t any lumps of dry flour. You can use your hand to mix and bring the cookie dough together.
- Cover the cookie with a cling film and refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. When the oven temperature reaches 300 deg, I scoop out the cookies.
- In a cookie pan, either line an aluminium foil or parchment paper. Scoop 1 to 1.5 tbsp of the cookie dough, gently roll it with your palms, and flatten them. Place these flattened cookies on the baking tray.
- Now place a few chopped pistachios in the center, as shown in the picture.
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes. Make sure you are baking the cookies on the middle rack.
- After baking, take the cookies out and wait for two minutes. The bottom should be light brown like below.
- Then transfer it to the cooling rack and let it cool for atleast 5 to 7 minutes. I know it’s hard, but please let the cookies cool before relishing them.
Recipe Notes
- Blending the sugar, cardamom, and saffron helps the flavor to infuse very well. So do not skip that step.
- Chilling the cookie dough for half an hour is sufficient, but there is no harm in chilling for a long time.
- Pistachios are optional. Instead of pistachios, you can use chopped cashews, almonds, walnuts, or a mix of these nuts.
- Instead of topping the cookie with nuts, you can gently fold the nuts into the cookie dough.
- Baking Time
- When you remove the cookies from the oven, they will be soft, and that’s perfectly fine. When they cool, they become the perfect cookies. If you like soft, moist, and chewy cookies, bake only for 12 minutes. But if you like soft but not-so-chewy cookies, bake for 15 minutes. I won’t recommend baking beyond that.
- Milk
- Do not add all the milk in a single go. Add 1 tbsp of milk at a time. Every time I use unbleached APF, I use 5 tbsps of milk. You need 3 to 4 tbsps of milk for this recipe. But depending on the flour, use the remaining milk.
- Instead of oats milk, you can use any plant-based milk of your choice, or if you are not particular about the vegan diet, you can use dairy-based milk too.
- Make sure to use good-quality baking powder.
- I used cardamom and saffron to flavor the cookies. With tahini, they pair well. You can also add other flavors like rose essence or vanilla essence.
Explore eggless cookies
📖 Recipe
Vegan Tahini Cookies | Cardamom & Saffron Flavored Tahini Cookies
Equipment
- conventional oven
- Mixer jar or coffee grinder
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 tbsp=15ml; 1 tsp= 5ml; 1 cup=240ml;
- ¼ tsp saffron strands
- 5 cardamom remove the seeds, and use the green to flavor your tea
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup tahini make sure the tahini is runny
- 1 cup all-purpose flour. I used unbleached organic flour.
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 4 to 5 tbsp oat milk add as needed; refer to notes
- 12 shelled pistachios unsalted
Instructions
- In a coffee grinder, add the cardamom seeds and saffron strands.
- Add ½ cup of sugar and blend them into a smooth powder.
- Add powdered sugar with cardamom, saffron, and tahini in a mixing bowl.
- Mix the tahini and sugar well using a spatula or a hand whisk.
- Now gently mix the other dry ingredients – all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Add 3 to 4 tbsp of oat milk and form the cookie dough. If required, add one more tbsp of milk. Do not add all the milk at once. Make sure there aren't any lumps of dry flour. You can use your hand to mix and bring the cookie dough together.
- Cover the cookie with a cling film and refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. When the oven temperature reaches 300 deg, I scoop out the cookies.
- In a cookie pan, either line an aluminium foil or parchment paper. Scoop 1 to 1.5 tbsp of the cookie dough, gently roll it with your palms, and flatten them. Place these flattened cookies on the baking tray.
- Now place a few chopped pistachios in the center, as shown in the picture.
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes. Make sure you are baking the cookies on the middle rack.
- After baking, take the cookies out and wait for two minutes. Then transfer it to the cooling rack and let it cool for atleast 5 to 7 minutes. I know it’s hard, but please let the cookies cool before relishing them.
Notes
- Blending the sugar, cardamom, and saffron helps the flavor to infuse very well. So do not skip that step.
- Chilling the cookie dough for half an hour is sufficient, but there is no harm in chilling for a long time.
- Pistachios are optional. Instead of pistachios, you can use chopped cashews, almonds, walnuts, or a mix of these nuts.
- Instead of topping the cookie with nuts, you can gently fold the nuts into the cookie dough.
- Baking Time
- When you remove the cookies from the oven, they will be soft, and that’s perfectly fine. When they cool, they become the perfect cookies. If you like soft, moist, and chewy cookies, bake only for 12 minutes. But if you like soft but not-so-chewy cookies, bake for 15 minutes. I won’t recommend baking beyond that.
- Milk
- Do not add all the milk in a single go. Add 1 tbsp of milk at a time. Every time I use unbleached APF, I use 5 tbsps of milk. You need 3 to 4 tbsps of milk for this recipe. But depending on the flour, use the remaining milk.
- Instead of oats milk, you can use any plant-based milk of your choice, or if you are not particular about the vegan diet, you can use dairy-based milk too.
- Make sure to use good-quality baking powder.
- I used cardamom and saffron to flavor the cookies. With tahini, they pair well. You can also add other flavors like rose essence or vanilla essence.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
PS: If you try these vegan tahini cookies, please remember to comment and rate this recipe. Please comment if you have any questions, and I will get to it ASAP. Follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more recipe updates! You can also sign-up for my newsletter for weekly updates.
I love the flavor of Tahini, and I have wanted to bake these cookies for a long time. I am so glad I made these! So delicious and the cardamom and saffron were perfect.
Thanks Sandhya.