Tahini Keenies

Cookies are so “in” around the holidays!  So this holiday, permit me to return to my childhood, and this beloved cookie my mother used to make that makes the kitchen and the whole home smell like heaven.

And not just holidays.  My mother would let us eat Tahini Keenies for breakfast with a glass of milk (raw milk was what she served us),or a mug of green or herbal tea because she said they nourished us.  Good cookies, with good, hearty ingredients do that!

Tahini (or sesame butter) is rich in protein, calcium, magnesium, and healthy fats.  Oats are a low-glycemic source of soluble fiber.  Walnuts are a veritable superfood.  Raw honey is packed with phytonutrients.  Date syrup is a rich source of minerals.

Tahini Keenies lend themselves to many variations.  Don’t like walnuts?  Try another nut or a seed.  Want to replace walnuts with raisins, or chopped dried apricots?  Of course you can, though the nuts add protein and good fat. Want to use chocolate chips instead of walnuts?  Yeah.  That’s a kid’s fave.

And here I made them with silan date syrup instead of honey. (The word “silan” means syrup.) You can see three kinds in the photo above – the ones with the walnuts, with date syrup (they’re darker) and a chocolate chip variety.

Use organic ingredients because pesticides and herbicides don’t make us healthier.

Makes about 36 mini cookies     Bake at 350 degrees

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two large cookie sheets.  Vigorously mix tahini and honey (or date syrup instead of honey) in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.

Chop walnuts, if using. Otherwise add your nut or seed or raisin or chocolate chips to mixing bowl with cinnamon, rolled oats and pinch of good salt (like Celtic or Himalayan). Thoroughly mix everything. Drop batter by tablespoon onto the cookie sheets. Don’t worry about flattening; these cookies seem to spread just a little and shape themselves. The photo shows that. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Serve or store in airtight container.