Vegan Oatmeal Cherry Tahini Cookies

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Tahini, its wonderful and not just a base for hummus. It can be deliciously salty and savoury, a dressing for a salad or grain bowl, mixed with miso for a wonderful marinade. OR it can be sweet, a nut butter alternative, spread on toast with honey, a base for frosting (icing for those of you across the pond), you can add it to brownie batter.  The options are endless!  In this recipe I've used tahini to add a slight salty kick to counter balance the sweetness from the raisins. It works, trust. 

This is one of my favourite cookie recipes.  Gluten free, vegan, full of good healthy fats from the tahini, refined sugar free, super moist and delicious, and endlessly customisable. If you wanted an extra treat you can sub in some chocolate chips in place of the cherries/pumpkin seeds. The 1/4 c cherries can be subbed for more raisins (then they are oatmeal raisin cookies), I personally prefer the cherries because their tartness counterbalances the sweetness from the raisins in the batter and complements the tahini. 

 

Ingredients

1 c gluten-free rolled oats , divided
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 c tahini
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 c raisins
1/4 c unsweetened dried cherries (if possible with no oil added)*
1/4 c pumpkin seeds*

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

  2. Soak the raisins in warm water for about 10 minutes, doesn't matter if its longer.  Drain and save 1/4 c of the raisin infused water (soaking liquid).

  3. Pulse 3/4 c of the oats in a blender or food processor, until finely ground and you've reached a flour like consistency (you just made oat flour!). Do not wash out the food processor/blender, this is important and if you did it you're just creating work for your self. 

  4. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt).  

  5. Blend the rehydrated-raisins and 1/4 c of the soaking liquid in the food processor/blender, blend until smooth. Add tahini and vanilla and continue to blend until creamy.

  6. Add raisin-tahini paste, cherries, pumpkin seeds r and remaining 1/4 c oats (still whole right--you only blended 3/4 c to flour, remember?) to the bowl of dry ingredients.  Stir until all of the oat flour is absorbed. 

  7. Drop heaping tsps of dough on to the baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Gently flatten each heap with the back of a spoon. Bake until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottom about 10 to 12 minutes.   

  8. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely--seriously leave them to cool, they need to set a little.

These cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or they freeze remarkably well.  Don't travel with them in a zip lock bag--they will crumble. Believe me.

Notes
*As mentioned above you can mix up the mix ins. Keep them at 1/2 c total, any more than that and you begin to compromise the structural integrity of the cookies. You can use cherries, raisins, pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs, chocolate chips . . .