Tahini Apple Butter Cookies

A bite-sized cookie with a tangy sweet filling

Prep & Cooking: 30 mins
Makes: 12-15 cookies
 
Main Ingredients:
½ cup all purpose flour
½ whole wheat flour – you can substitute the full 1 cup of flour with a gluten free blend if needed
¼ cup + 1 tbsp tahini (sesame butter)
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
3-4 tbsp raw sesame seeds
3-4 tbsp apple butter – apple butter is a thick, dark, concentrated spread and can be found in most grocery and bulk stores in the same section as jam and peanut butter
 
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
 
In a large bowl, combine tahini, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until smooth and any lumps of tahini have been smoothed out. Add flour(s) and stir to combine. This dough is quite stiff and it may take some effort to incorporate the dry ingredients. When the dough is ready to roll, it should stay together when pinched. If the dough is too dry add water, a tsp at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
 
Roll dough into 1 inch balls and dip or roll into the sesame seeds. The idea is to cover just the top half of the cookie ball in seeds, if you coat the entire dough ball the seeds on the bottom of the cookie may burn as the cookies bake.
 
Using your thumb or the end of a kitchen tool or small bottle, I used the end of a wooden vegetable peeler, press the centre of the cookie to create a well. You only want to press about ½ to ¾ of the way through the cookie or as the cookie bakes the apple butter will run through the bottom. Creating the indent in the centre of the cookie will sometimes create cracks on the edges, just pinch these together with your fingers if the cracks are wide enough to allow the apple butter to seep out.
 
Fill each cookie with a teaspoon or so of apple butter; being careful not to overfill. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes.
 
Allow the cookies to cool and store in an airtight container for up to one week. If the cookies will be stacked during storage, place some parchment or waxed paper in between the cookies to avoid sticky bottoms.