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This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Tahini and Browned Butter Cookies

Makes 18 cookies

45 minutes plus cooling

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Tahini isn’t just for hummus and sauces. Here it gives rich, chewy cookies a nutty flavor and pleasant bitterness that plays off the sweetness of the sugar. Browned butter is butter that is cooked until the milk solids caramelize, which infuses the fat with a flavor reminiscent of toasted nuts. The browned butter in these cookies accentuates the sesame notes of the tahini. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.

Makes

18 cookies

Tip

Don’t forget to stir the tahini. The oil separates and rises to the surface on standing, so before use, tahini requires mixing until the paste is creamy and homogeneous.

45 minutes

plus cooling

Ingredients

  • 260

    grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour

  • 1

    teaspoon baking soda

Directions

Reviews
Melissa B.
September 25, 2023
AMAZING! This is by far, the best browned butter cookie recipe
AMAZING! This is by far, the best browned butter cookie recipe I've ever tried. I made a batch on Saturday for a house party and literally I decorated the platter and came back 10 minutes later and they were all gone ;-). I used Soom Premium Tahini and I will only use this brand because it makes a huge difference from cheaper brands. There is a reason why Milk Street sells this brand!
Michael H.
December 13, 2022
Amazing, but chonky!
These taste amazing! The combo of browned butter and tahini give the cookie depth, very glad I went out on a limb to add these to the holiday cookie repertoire. My only note to other cooks is these are LARGE cookies. You will need a full size rimmed baking sheet to get 9 of these on a pan. Even with those it’s close, so watch your spacing. Milk Street Magicians, any thoughts on how you could adjust the recipe to make smaller cookies?
OLIVIA K.
May 27, 2026
love the concept!
I made these *almost* exact to the recipe and I really enjoyed them! The only thing I changed was that I had to make my own dark brown sugar using light brown sugar and molasses, and I took the advice from another comment to shorten the bake time (to about 15 minutes) to get a chewier cookie. They came out absolutely delightful. I did use two different baking trays, one was dark metal and those cookies came out crispier but we’re still quite good. I also dipped or drizzled the cookies with dark chocolate and I found that the chocolate took away too much from the tahini & browned butter so next time I will do half and half (other feedback from friends was that the chocolate was delicious!)
Jessica H.
April 13, 2025
Crispy & delicious
The batter seemed a bit strange, but came out perfectly! The butter and tahini was delicious together and the cookies remind me of an halva bar. Adding the chocolate was a nice way to balance everything. Batch made 24 large cookies
Mel S.
March 23, 2024
Refrigerate Your Dough
The cookie dough was amazing! I definitely should have refrigerated my dough first. The cookies came out flat and crispy. I do live higher elevation.

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