sesame cookies

Sesame Cookies Recipe. Gluten-Free Friendly

Sesame Cookies

Sesame cookies

Here’s a great Sephardi cookie favorite for you! It’s the perfect Moroccan, and in general Sephardi, flavor trio: chickpeas, sesame and anise. Check out their equally delicious cousins, Sesame Tehina Cookies

These cookies are impossibly fragrant, crisp and delicious. They get their funky flavor and texture from the chick-pea flour. Moreover, they are only very reasonably sweet. It makes them a great breakfast choice too (we grew up happily eating them for breakfast). A mostly guilt-free good-for-you cookie!

Sesame Cookies are Gluten-Free-Friendly!

Chickpea sesame cookies

Just to be clear: 2 cups chick pea flour, plus 2 cups any flour of your choice, including gluten-free flour. Which comes up to 4 cups flour total.

You will love the funky and deep flavor of chickpea flour. I make sure I always have some on hand: it has great texture and flavor, and adapts well to both savory and sweet recipes.

Sesame Cookies are a Snap to Make!

All you do is mix, shape, flatten and bake. Also, they freeze very well, so you’ll always be happy to have some on hand. All they need is just a few minutes to thaw and enjoy. They are sturdy and travel well, so grab a couple and stick them in your bag on your way out!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour, any flour including gluten-free
  • 2 cups chick pea flour (health food stores)
  • 1 cup natural margarine spread (health food stores), or coconut oil (butter if you don't mind dairy)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups sesame seeds
  • ¼ cup anise seeds
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly until a smooth dough forms. Form little walnut-size balls and flatten them with your hands. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing flattened cookies 1 inch apart.

Bake about 25 minutes, or a couple minutes longer, until golden and crisp. Store at room temperature in air-tight cookie tins.

 

Yield: Yields about 4 dozen cookies

6 replies
  1. Leah
    Leah says:

    Levana, could coconut oil be a substitute for the margarine? And is there anything that could replace the sugar (1 cup, that’s quite a lot:-). I suppose coconut palm sugar would work, right?

    Reply
    • Lévana
      Lévana says:

      Leah, as sugar goes, 1 cup of sugar to make 4 dozen-plus cookies is quite a decent amount. Compare that to more than double the amount in, say, chocolate chip cookies. Try to use natural solid sugars (I use evaporated cane juice and sucanat for everything). Coconut oil: Here I would say no, because I don’t want the fat to be liquid in this recipe, it will affect the texture adversely.

  2. omar
    omar says:

    This sounds great, i shall try it. Do you melt the margarine or use at room temperature?
    Chickpea flour can also be found in Indian stores along with sesame seeds and other goodies, all at reasonable prices.
    Best,

    Reply
    • Lévana
      Lévana says:

      Omar the natural margarine spread is never completely solid, so no need to do anything to it. Yup, love to get all my flours in Indian stores, amazing variety.

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