tahini cookies -- gluten free + dairy free

oh no. i'm another week closer to turning 30. i've got just over one week in my 20's remaining. on the upside, that means i've got just over a week until i get to gorge on what i'm expecting to be an incredible birthday dinner and then again on gf/df birthday cake.

familiar with boulder? then you likely know the popular, james beard award-winning restaurant, frasca. well, a ways back the owners of frasca opened up a pizza joint a few steps down the block, pizzaria locale. i've spent the last year drooling over their menu. best part....wait for it....they have gf pizza crust! mark made reservations for us...i simply cannot wait.

my mom is flying out next week too, so she'll be celebrating with us. her birthday was earlier this week - so mark and i are planning to cook her a dinner of her choice and are making strawberry shortcake for her. a few days ago she called and asked me where she could score a gf/df bday cake for my bday. i suggested kim + jakes cakes. they do an incredible job and are experts on gf/df goodies. cake anticipation is building - its been YEARS since i've had a 'normal' cake. to top things off - the boulders farmers market opens the first sat of april - which just so happens to be my bday! i have a feeling turning 30 is going to be a little less painful than i've been expecting for the past year.

nuff about me - onto food. youre right, its been a while since i posted a 'sweet' recipe. so here she goes. i was at whole foods recently and came across a bunch of in-house produced gluten free + dairy free goodies.  i found myself staring down some delicious looking cookies and figured i'd be walking out sad faced and cookie-less. i bent down to take a better peak at the cookies and the ingredients - and to my surprise there were a few i could eat. hence my introduction to tahini cookies.

that aint cows milk folks - its hemp milk!

unfamiliar with tahini? i bet not. chances are if you've eaten hummus, you've had tahini. most hummus recipes call for it. tahini is roasted sesame seed paste. it lends depth of flavor as well as thick, creamy consistency to dishes that its added to. it was the perfect consistency - super smooth and creamy, not overly sweet - a bit of crunch from chocolate chips and walnuts - a smidge of tartness from dried cranberries - and some chewiness from raisins. i knew i wouldnt stop thinking about that cookie for a while. as soon as i got home from shopping i decided to take on the challenge of recreating these tasty morsels.

i've got to be honest with you - if you arent a fan of tahini - you may not enjoy these. depending on the brand tahini that you use the flavor intensity can vary quite a bit. sometimes folks think tahini has a strong, bitter flavor. when combined with the right ingredients and flavor profiles you can really manipulate this and mellow it out. so - give this a whirl and let me know if you like them!

tahini cookies

• 1.5 cups rolled oats (certified gluten free) - pulsed in food processor until coarse
• 1/2 cup tahini paste
• 1/2 cup light agave nectar
• 1/2 cup walnuts - roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 cup raisins and/or dried cranberries soaked in warm water for 30 minutes - optional 
• 1/8 cup chocolate chips (dairy free) - optional

preheat oven to 325. pulse rolled oats in food processor until coarse. in a medium sized mixing bowl stir together agave nectar, tahini and cinnamon, then stir in coarse oats. when combined - gently stir in walnuts, raisins, dried cranberries, chocolate chips. using wet hands form 2 tbsp sized balls and place on a greased cookie sheet roughly 2 inches apart. bake approx 15 minutes, until cookies begin to brown around the edges. remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack for 10 minutes.

i highly recommend washing these down with an ice cold glass of vanilla hemp milk.

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