These teff and tahini cookies are dense, nutty, full of protein, and contain no refined sugars. They're the perfect treat if you're looking for a healthy cookie. They're also gluten free, dairy free and vegan, to boot.

We’re officially in November, which marks the start of the holidays and the final stretch of my pregnancy. I’m all sorts of nervous and excited about what’s to come, as I try to wrap up projects, get the house ready, and find some time to simply enjoy the fact that life isn’t that hectic right now. (I mean, it’s as hectic as I make it, right?)

I’ve been taking some time to think about what I really want to do here on my little corner of the internet. While this blog started off as a food project, I’m hoping to morph it into something more. Something that’s all encompassing about trying to find a bit of balance and purpose. It seems tough to do sometimes, especially in this fast-paced city, where everyone is struggling to keep up with a fast-paced life. It seems that the response that I always get to the simple “How are you?” question is “Good! Busy. But good!” Busy, but good? Okay. Sounds like we all just need to chill out for a sec.

While I’ve never considered myself much of a baker, I’ve been doing a lot more baking lately. (Well, my attempt at a healthier version of baking.) It’s just a nice way to slow down, do something fun and enjoy a brief moment with my daughter in the kitchen. Like all families, we find ourselves caught up in the breakfast and dinner rush, as well as power struggles over finishing meals. It’s nice when the kitchen is just a space for making a mess, having fun and enjoying something a little sweet.

I found the base recipe for these teff cookies on the back of the Bob’s Red Mill bag while making a teff porridge for breakfast one day. If you haven’t tried it, teff is one of those gluten-free alternative flours that has received a lot mainstream attention in the past few years, as it’s better for you than most flours, with a hearty serving of amino acids, fiber and protein.

The Bob’s Red Mill version of these cookies uses peanut butter. But tahini, which has been sneaking its way into several baked goods as of late, seemed like the adult version that needed to be made. Too much tahini can be overwhelming, however, so I added a little cashew butter to balance it out. The addition of coconut oil, honey and pistachios make these cookies little protein flavor bombs that I don’t feel too guilty about eating and giving my daughter for a snack. Yet, they’re still cookies. It’s kind of awesome.

These are extremely easy to make, and the dough comes together beautifully. I found that undercooking them slightly in the middle yields the best results, as they can get pretty dry and crumbly pretty quickly.

I hope you, too, can take a few minutes to make these and enjoy a moment of sweetness in what I’m sure is the start of a hectic holiday season.

COOKING NOTES

If you don’t have cashew butter, no worries. You could use any nut butter here. Also, I use a combo of olive and coconut oil because I like the savoriness, but feel free to use on or the other. Lastly, these cook up very fast and can become dry and crumbly quickly, so go easy on the cook time and take them out when they still seem wet.

PREP TIME: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes TOTAL TIME: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups teff flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill)
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup tahini
½ cup cashew butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
¼ cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup pistachios, crushed

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl combine the teff flour, salt and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, whisk the tahini, cashew butter, coconut oil, honey and vanilla extract until combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. You should have a soft, slightly wet dough.
Scoop the dough out by the tablespoon and shape into 2-inch balls.
Place on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet and flatten gently with a fork and sprinkle with the pistachios.
Transfer to the oven and bake until just set, but still wet in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack and enjoy.

Teff tahini cookies with honey and pistachio