Tahini Cookies with Pistachios

INGREDIENTS

• 200 g almond meal (not same as almond flour)

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 200 g maple syrup or honey

• 200 g tahini

• 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup sliced pistachios (raw or roasted)

• black sesame seeds for garnish

  DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (177C). Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the ground almonds, salt, and baking powder.

3. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together the maple , tahini, and vanilla until everything is completely combined and the mixture has begun to thin a little, 4 to 6 minutes.

4. Set this aside and let it cool completely.

5. Pour the contents of the saucepan into the dry ingredients in the bowl and stir with a spoon or mix with your hands until everything is combined and a dough forms.

6. Refrigerate the mixture for 10 minutes so that it firms slightly.

7. Take 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll it into a ball. Place it on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the blobs of dough about 2 inches (5 cm) apart..

8. Sprinkle with pistachios, gently pressing the nuts into the dough so they don’t fall off during baking.

9. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. The cookies will puff a little during baking but will flatten somewhat during cooling. Watch the bottoms carefully as they tend brown fairly easily and which make them bitter.

10. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets on wire racks. If you can, store the cookies in an airtight container.