Sesame and Tahini Cookies (Basic Halva) with homemade raw tahini

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Cookies

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Mix the sesame seeds, cinnamon and salt.
3. 3
   Grind the sesame seeds in a powerful blender about 3 minutes, until smooth paste forms.

   Blender

   💡At first the sesame looks like dry crumbs: keep grinding, scraping down the sides, and after a few minutes it releases its oil and turns liquid.

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
4. 4
   Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. 5
   Add the tahini, honey, oil and vanilla and mix into a soft dough.
6. 6
   Roll tablespoons of dough into balls the size of walnut and place on the baking sheet, spaced apart.

   Baking pan

   💡Roll with damp hands: the soft dough won't stick, and the balls come out smooth.
7. 7
   Flatten the balls lightly with a fork on the baking sheet.
8. 8
   Sprinkle a little more sesame over the cookies.
9. 9
   Bake 15–18 minutes, until the cookies are golden at the edges.

   OvenBaking pan

   💡Cookies that look too soft coming out of the oven firm up as they cool. Take them out when just the edges are golden.

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
10. 10
    Let cool completely before serving.