Vegan Almond Tahini Cookies

It's rare that I make a recipe within a week of bookmarking it. It's rare that I make anything vegan. It's rare that I find a cookie I can eat when I'm doing a modified Whole 30 approach. But these cookies from Cook Republic fit within what I'm eating because they are sweetened with only maple syrup.

I was unsure about how these would turn out because I find tahini bitter on its own. But they smelled delicious and looked quite tasty. From a texture standpoint, it's not the same as a traditional cookie. The edges have a slight bite to them, and the inside is soft and chewy. I'd say they're coarser than a flour-based cookie. The flavor is nutty and sweet enough to taste like a cookie but not overly sweet.

Everyone in my family tried these and liked them well enough to not wrinkle their noses. I think AJ expected a more traditional cookie and would probably like them better had I put chocolate chips on them instead of nuts. Teddy ate the one he snuck off the counter without complaints (or spitting it out, which is what he does when he doesn't like the flavor or texture). And Dave said he liked them more than he thought he would and could eat a half dozen, which I didn't let him.

I kept just a couple out for tomorrow and froze the rest to help with portion control. These are worth repeating.

Vegan Almond Tahini Cookies
3/4 cup tahini
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups almond flour
Garnish
Crushed cocoa nibs
Chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large saucepan, combine the tahini, maple syrup, sea salt and vanilla. Melt together, while stirring often, over medium heat until ingredients are fully combined. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool 10 minutes.

Stir almond flour into the melted mixture, which will have thickened as it cooled. Shape cookies using 1-2 Tablespoons of dough by rolling into a rough ball and pressing gently to flatten. Sprinkle with garnish if desired, and press gently into the dough to help it stick.

Bake 10 minutes. Turn off oven, and leave the cookies inside for another 5 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned. Remove from the oven, and let stand on the cookie sheet for another 5-10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely if desired. Makes about 14 cookies.