Honey Sesame Cookies
These Honey Sesame Cookies pack a triple punch of sesame flavor—rich tahini, fragrant toasted sesame oil, and a crunchy toasted sesame seed coating.
Sweetened with honey, they’ve become my favorite treat when I’m craving something sweet and salty!
Key ingredients
- Tahini: Use well-stirred, runny tahini (not thick or dry) for even mixing. Opt for 100% sesame seed tahini — the label on the jar should list just one ingredient.
- Toasted sesame oil: A little goes a long way! Don’t add too much here or your cookies will turn out greasy.
- Honey: Mild, neutral honey works best. Avoid strongly flavored varieties (e.g., buckwheat) unless you want a bold taste.
- All purpose flour: Weigh your flour using a kitchen scale or use the spoon-and-level method to avoid dry, dense cookies. If using cups, gently spoon flour into the measuring cup and scrape off excess with the back of a knife.
- Baking soda: Just 1 teaspoon baking soda gives these cookies the perfect amount of lift and spread. Make sure it’s not expired!
- Toasted sesame seeds: Toast raw sesame seeds in a dry skillet for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant. You’ll use them to coat the cookies for a crunchy finish.
Step by step photos
Step 1: Cream the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar.
Step 2: Add the tahini, honey, toasted sesame oil, egg, and vanilla.
Step 3: Mix in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) until just combined. Form into a disc and chill for 2 hours.
Step 4: Form the cookie dough into balls and roll through toasted sesame seeds. Bake at 350°F (180°F) for 12-14 minutes.
Storage and freezing
Leftover honey sesame cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You can also freeze the cookie dough. I recommend rolling the dough into balls, freezing until solid, then transferring to an airtight container or freezer bag.
Before baking, allow the dough balls to sit on the counter for 15 minutes. This will soften them just enough to stick to the sesame seed coating. Add an extra minute or two to the bake time if needed.
FAQs
My favorite brands of tahini are Soom and Ziyad. Just make sure you choose a tahini with only one ingredient on the label: sesame seeds.
I don’t recommend this. The cookies will spread too much.
You can, but they’ll have a different flavor. I much prefer toasted sesame seeds for this recipe. Just place your raw sesame seeds in a dry skillet and toast over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until fragrant and golden.
The edges will be golden brown, but the centers will still be soft. They’ll harden as they cool.
Honey Sesame Cookies Recipe
- Total Time: 2 hours 27 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Global
Description
Honey Sesame Cookies are made with creamy tahini, toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120g) tahini, well-stirred
- 1/4 cup (85g) honey
- 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cups (300g) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Toasted sesame seeds*, for rolling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream the softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the tahini, honey, toasted sesame oil, egg, and vanilla until fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough into balls (about 2-3 tablespoons each), roll each one in sesame seeds, and place 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Tip: I only roll about 1/3-1/2 of the cookie ball through sesame seeds to get pretty seed swirls.
- Bake for 12–14 minutes, or until the edges are golden.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Measuring Flour: For best results, weigh flour with a kitchen scale. If using cups, spoon flour in lightly and level off the excess with a knife.
Toasting Sesame Seeds: Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until the sesame seeds smell nutty and are a light golden brown.
Storage: Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
This post may contain affiliate links through which we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products that we genuinely love and would use ourselves.