Granite Mill Farms sponsored this post, providing their organic sprouted grain flours. Honey Sesame Cookies, soft and full of toasty sesame flavor, are baked with Granite Mill Farms sprouted hard white wheat flour.
Sprouted flour is milled from grain that has been soaked in water until it sprouts. The process of sprouting converts some starches within the grain to vegetable sugars, resulting in a grain that is easier to digest and more nutritious.
For numerous years I have started my day with toast made from Trader Joe's sprouted grain bread. I eat it because it’s lower in carbs and higher in nutrients than traditional grain breads, and makes flavorful, crunchy toast. I had no idea that I could buy sprouted grain flour to add those lower carb/higher nutrient benefits to my home baking.
Granite Mill Farms is a family run business in Montana that produces and sells a wide range of organic, sprouted berries and flours. I decided to enter the world of sprouted grain baking cautiously, choosing to work with sprouted hard white wheat flour, which I read could be used like regular all-purpose flour.
For this baking challenge I wanted a recipe that would highlight the nutty flavor of the grain and the light texture of the flour. Honey Sesame Cookies are exactly what I was looking for.
Soft cookies made with honey sweetened dough get a double dose of sesame flavor from sesame puree (tahini) and sesame seeds. Though these cookies can be made successfully with conventional flour, I found that the cookies made with sprouted wheat flour were especially flavorful and cake-like.
This is a slightly more delicate cookie than I normally recommend for shipping, but Honey Sesame Cookies are so delicious, they are worth a little extra packing care.
The warm toasted sesame flavor in these cookies reminds me of halvah, a sweet sesame candy I grew up loving. This sesame paste and sugar confection is common to an unbelievable number of cultures.
Wikipedia lists South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Middle East, as places where halvah is enjoyed.
Honey Sesame Cookies get their halvah-like flavor from tahini (sesame seed puree) and sesame seeds. Tahini is carried at many regular supermarkets (often in the “ethnic foods” aisle) and I have seen it at Target ( the Joyva brand in a can) next to the peanut butter.
Related recipes
Honey Sesame Brittle is quick and easy to make. This crunchy candy makes a beautiful and delicious gift.
Benne Wafers are thin sesame cookies that are known for being good luck cookies! Crunchy, chewy and full of toasty flavor.
Italian Sesame Seed Cookies are crunchy, buttery and lightly sweet. They are a great dunking cookie.
Honey Jumbles are a soft, chewy biscuit with spiced honey flavor.
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Honey Sesame Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 ¼ cups sprouted hard white wheat flour I used Granite Mill Farms
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup tahini puree of roasted sesame seeds, stirred well
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup toasted sesame seeds
Honey Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- To roast sesame seeds: Place the sesame seeds in a frying pan over medium heat. Use a spatula to stir the seeds continually until they are golden brown (about 5 minutes). Set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer at high speed, cream together butter and honey. Then add tahini and vanilla. Mix until completely combined.
- Reduce speed of mixer and gradually add flour mixture, beating until incorporated.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (1 hour-overnight).
- WHEN READY TO BAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a small, 1 tablespoon scoop to form 1” balls of dough. Roll the balls in the roasted sesame seeds to coat completely. Place on the prepared baking sheet at least 2” apart. These cookies will flatten and spread while baking.
- Bake for about 12 minutes, until the cookies are puffy and golden brown.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
- FOR HONEY GLAZE (OPTIONAL): Mix together the powdered sugar, honey, vanilla, and milk until smooth and a drizzle consistency. Place cookies over wax paper and drizzle with glaze. Allow to set for several hours before storing.
- Layer cookies between wax paper in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Do not add the optional glaze to the Honey Sesame Cookies if shipping.
- Layer the cookies in a plastic storage container between sheets of wax paper.
- Be sure to use crumpled wax paper between the top layer of cookies and the lid to keep the cookies from moving at all in transit.
- For extra airtight packing, wrap the storage container in plastic wrap.
Susannah // Feast + West
My goodness, Wendy, these look so good! I love sesame anything. I am definitely going to have to try these cookies!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Susannah! With the tahini and the sesame seeds, these cookies are a sesame lovers dream! The sprouted wheat flour is a bonus; great texture and perhaps some added toasty flavor. 🙂
Kelly
These look like what my grandma used to call "grown-up cookies" 😀 I bet they have an amazing crunch!
The Monday Box
Your grandma was right. That is exactly what these are; not overly sweet or drowning in icing, just sweet enough for grownup taste. These are actually soft, and cakey. The sesame coating gives a little crunch and a lot of toasty flavor. 🙂
Liz
Oh wow Wendy, these look so good! Brava! Also, your website is looking real good. Great job Wendy!
The Monday Box
Thank you, Liz! You are always so enthusiastic and supportive. I appreciate it! These cookies ARE out of the ordinary, but they are SO good. 🙂
Monica
I remember when I first started seeing sprouted seeds and nuts at the Whole Foods bulk bin a couple years ago and wondering what that was all about. I really don't have much experience with it beyond eating them as is (seems more flavorful). I'd love to try the flours. And I finally bought a container of tahini recently and have been eyeing a couple of tahini sesame cookies much like this one! I can tell yours came out beautifully - that texture looks superb...nice and soft in the center! I also love sesame seeds...sesame bagels, even those sesame pretzel sticks! : )
The Monday Box
Monica, I highly recommend this recipe...well, that sounds stupid. Of course I do. I posted it. But what I mean is, if you love sesame (which you obviously do) these cookies deliver cookie-ness with definite sesame flavor. The sweetness and honey flavor are very minimal (unless you use the glaze). The original recipe that I tweaked used regular all-purpose flour, but I think the sprouted grain flour added flavor (maybe sort of nut-like?) as well as nutrition. I expected heavy whole wheat and got light and fluffy. I am positive you would enjoy playing with sprouted grains. 🙂 Besides these cookies, which I will definitely be making again, I use tahini for sauce on falafel and for making halvah candy for my mom. If you are looking for a soft and cakey cookie recipe for your tahini, this is it! 🙂
Michelle James
Wow these look so delicious. I love sesame and I think I would really enjoy a sesame cookie. Thanks so much for the recipe. Pinning for sure!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Michelle! I too love sesame and know that I will be making these cookies over and over! Thank you for pinning! I hope you enjoy the cookies. 🙂
Chris Scheuer
What a fun and unique cookie Wendy. I love that they're decently healthy too! If you want to practice to see how well they ship, just send a box this way 🙂
The Monday Box
Thanks, Chris! 🙂 As a sesame lover, this cookie has made it onto me favorites list! Though your very lucky household gets to enjoy all of the amazing foods you create, I would be more than delighted to ship a Monday Box to North Carolina any time! 🙂 We both could pretend its for shipping research, instead of just because we are blogging friends. 🙂
Rhonda
These look so light and fluffy. They make me envision sitting on the back porch watching life on the farm while dunking these in coffee. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
The Monday Box
Thank you, Rhonda! You are so right. These are "enjoying the wonders of life" cookies. 🙂
Marjie @ Home Again Jiggety-jig!
I've never used Tahini - though I'm very fond of sesame seeds and sesame seed oils. These look delicious. ALSO I've not seen the sprouted wheat flour, and am FASCINATED with it and the amazing benefits it provides. Thanks!
The Monday Box
I had never baked with tahini before these cookies, Marjie, but was so happy with the results. I too, am a sesame lover. 🙂 I am so glad I got to try the sprouted grain flour and share it with The Monday Box readers. I will be using these flours (on my own) again and again!
Karen
These look amazing, Wendy! Your photos have my mouth watering - really! I tried sprouting wheat several years ago - maybe I should again - or just get my hands on some sprouted flour.
The Monday Box
Thank you, Karen! I was so delighted with these cookies, that I am planning on trying the rest of the sprouted grain flours! Spelt is next on my list. The other bloggers who were part of this promotion posted some spelt recipe that I can't wait to try! After that.....there appears to be a lot of experimenting with flour in my future! 🙂
Ashley
Oh I love the honey sesame combo here! It's always such a nice change to have sesame in something sweet! These look delicious Wendy! Have a wonderful weekend!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Ashley! Sweet sesame candy has always been a favorite of mine. These cookies have that same flavor. i hope the sun is shining on your weekend!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
These are so pretty and they sound wonderful. I've made sprouted wheat bread and loved it - I must look at this again! Have a great weekend 🙂 Beautiful photos too.
The Monday Box
Thanks, Tricia! You would be fascinated, just like I am, with the variety of sprouted grains that Granite Mill Farms produces. I haven't even heard of most of them....so of course I want to try baking with them! 🙂 I didn't expect these cookies to come out as light and fluffy as they are. I love them. You are WAY to kind about my photos, but coming from you, I take your words as a huge compliment. Your photos are ALWAYS beautiful! Enjoy your weekend! I will be at my daughter's Masters graduation! I am so proud and excited for her. 🙂
Sheila @ Life, Love, and Good Food
Wendy, I love your cookie-baking creativity! These look absolutely delicious!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Sheila! When I first started working with the sprouted grain flour, I wasn't sure about flavor and texture, so I wanted something flexible. The toasty flavor of the sesame seeds is great with the sprouted wheat flour. This recipe has been added to our favorites list!