Today, I’m bringing you a recipe for delicious cookies. Rich and nutty in flavour, made without flour – naturally gluten-free, perfect for those with gluten sensitivity. They’re rich in protein, and make a tasty, healthy snack. These almond tahini cookies also look really nice, if I may say so myself! They will make a delicious, aesthetically-pleasing sweet treat, worthy of a house party. Easy to make, and you don’t need an electric mixer. I can’t recommend these cookies enough!

I had two inspirations for these cookies. First of all, I had a jar of tahini that’s been sat in my fridge for a couple of months, and I wanted to use it up. A while ago, I was obsessed with meal prepping this delicious kale salad, with a dressing made with tahini. But, as it often happens when you overdo a recipe, I got to the point where I couldn’t look at it any more and needed a break. (It’s been a couple of months and now, writing this post, I started to crave it again…).

My second inspiration was trying to find a recipe for vegan and gluten-free cookies. I like to bake, but living alone, I don’t do it very often. I see my colleagues once a quarter or so, and I always think that I should bake something to share with the team. I just couldn’t think of a suitable recipe to accommodate my vegan teammates, as well as a couple of people with a gluten sensitivity. These almond tahini cookies will be perfect!

Just a quick disclaimer – these cookies include sesame, almonds, and nuts, which are common allergens. I probably wouldn’t recommend making them to share with people you don’t know too well. But in my case, I’m pretty sure none of my teammates is allergic to any of the ingredients!

Ingredients for almond tahini nut cookies:

Makes 10-12 cookies

For the cookie dough:

• 100g tahini (5 tablespoons)
• 180g ground almonds
• 70g tablespoons honey (4 tablespoons) – replace with maple syrup for vegan version
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• pinch of cinnamon

For the topping:

• 15g mixed nuts
• 1 teaspoon honey – replace with maple syrup for vegan version

Wondering why my recipes use grams? Read this post where I explain it!

How to make gluten-free almond tahini cookies

Preparing the nutty sprinkles

We’re going to start with the nutty topping. Chop up your chosen mixed nuts, quite finely – not into dust, but you want the pieces to be pretty small.

Heat up a dry, empty pan on medium heat. Once it’s warm, add the chopped nuts and roast them for 30-60 seconds, stirring constantly. Small pieces can burn quickly, don’t let that happen! Once the nuts are lightly toasted, immediately transfer them off the pan into a small bowl. Don’t let the nuts stay on the hot pan, they might burn.

Next, add a teaspoon of honey to the roasted nuts (or maple syrup if you’re making a vegan version of the cookies). Stir, to evenly coat the nuts. I recommend using a small silicone spatula, as the mixture is really sticky. Set the honey roasted nuts aside.

Making vegan almond tahini cookie dough

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix them together. I started with a fork, and then kneaded the dough with my hands to make sure all ingredients were evenly distributed. You should end up with a smooth ball of slightly sticky cookie dough.

Shaping the cookies

Tear a piece of the cookie dough, in a size slightly smaller than a golf ball. Roll the cookie dough in your hands to shape a smooth ball, then flatten it slightly. Place the cookie on the baking sheet. Repeat until you’ve run out of dough.

Once all cookies are arranged on the baking sheet, top each of them with a small amount of the roasted nuts. Gently press the nuts into the cookie dough.

Baking tahini almond cookies

Pre-heat the oven to 170°C (340°F). Bake your tahini cookies for 13-15 minutes, until they turn slightly golden on the sides.

Once the cookies are baked, take the whole sheet out of the oven and set it aside to cool. Don’t try to move the cookies at this point – they will crumble and fall apart! The cookies will set as they cool down.

These cookies don’t rise or spread much during baking. They keep their shape really well!

Nutritional value of gluten-free tahini almond cookies

The whole recipe has approximately 1950 kcal, 152 grams of fat, 125 grams of carbs, 30 grams of fibre and 59 grams of protein. The recipe makes around 11 cookies. Each of them will have approximately 177 kcal, 14 grams of fat, 11.5 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fibre and 5 grams of protein. They’re not exactly low in calories, but they’re made with nuts, tahini and almonds, which are sources of healthy fats and protein.

How to store

You can store these cookies in an airtight container for a good few days. I ate them over a week after baking, and they were perfectly fine.

Ingredient swaps and recipe alterations

I feel like this recipe has potential for some alterations. Not because it misses anything in its basic shape, but it can be fun to experiment with other variations! Mainly, I feel like the tahini could be replaced with peanut butter, at least partially. I also feel like finely chopped chocolate chunks could add a nice twist. I’m yet to experiment with those variations myself, so don’t quote me on that! Let us know in the comment if you decide to swap some ingredients.

Bon Appetit!

So there you have it – a recipe for delicious, gluten-free, protein-rich cookies with tahini and ground almonds. I’m really pleased with how they turned out, and how nice they look! It’s a simple recipe, but the outcome is super flavourful. I highly recommend these cookies!

Also see:

• Food
• Sweet