Quinoa Tahini Cookies

My husband and our girls made 2 versions of this cookie for our Father's Day barbecue yesterday-this recipe (not high altitude version), and Quinoa Cookies - Gluten Free! from this site which is the same recipe with the addition of cocoa and chocolate chips. Because our girls are GF/CF and we try to avoid hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated fats, we used an all-natural PB and substituted coconut oil for the margarine. We made this version first and though it tasted very good, it was crumbly and difficult to work with when making the cookies, and when the cookies baked, they did not spread at all, rather they remained dense little cookie balls. Not exactly bad, just not the ideal texture IMO. Accordingly, for the second batch, we added 2 eggs and it made a HUGE difference in the ease of making the cookies and in the appearance and texture of the finished cookie (moist, chewy, etc.) Both versions of the cookie were a big hit with everyone at the barbecue, and a few asked for the recipe despite not being on restrictive diets themselves. The chocolaty version was like a chewy choc. chip cookie with a hint of nuttiness. The non-choc version had a great rich peanut buttery flavor. Everyone preferred the texture with the eggs added and unless you cannot have eggs, I would strongly recommend adding 2 eggs to the recipe. Also, I reiterate that you need to use quinoa FLAKES for this cookie rather than whole-grain quinoa. A great recipe that I know we will enjoy over and over again experimenting with different nut/seed butters and additions like choc. chips, nuts, and dried fruits. Thanks!

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These were great! I admit, I changed a few things because of what I had in the house, but the recipe is right on. What I did different: I used whole grain spelt flour instead of rice flour(no gluten problems here), sunflower seed butter instead of tahini (we do have other allergies) I nearly doubled the vanilla, used olive oil instead of butter and didn't use honey, just 1/2 cup UNpacked brown sugar, and I think I could do less next time. Also, I ran out quinoa (sad) so I made up for what was missing with oatmeal - I'll try again when I buy more quinoa. Still, these were excellent! I loved them, the kids loved and DH told me he was disappointed when he saw them (another of my healthy "treats"), but quickly changed his mind when he tasted them - thinks they're one of the best cookies ever! So thanks for a great recipe! Can't wait to try it again.

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I'm surprised I haven't rated this before now. These are very very good! Forst two times I made them with the rice flour as directed. This time I made them with oat flour, as that's all I had on hand. I was also about 2 tbsp. short of honey so I subed that bit with organic molasses. I used whole quinoa seed which I rinsed and toasted in a pan. All in all a terrific healthy gluten free cookie!

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These were scrumpdilicious, wholesome goodness! Our fam does not have gluten allergies, but wish to wean away from the refined sugars & flours. And I love tahini and quinoa, so I thought, why not? I made a couple of subs, for either taste preference or supplies on hand. Sub'd 1/3 c sugar in the raw for the brown, and added 1 t. bs molasses. Sub'd 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat flour for the rice flour. Left out the vanilla as I didn't have any, but no matter--they were delicious! I also rolled them into a ball and criss-crossed them like PB cookies. Cooked the first batch for 13 minutes, increased to 15-16 for the subsequent batches as they weren't as toasty/crispy as we like them @ 13 mins. I didn't use the high altitude options. Thanks Headache Helper! They will be traditional cookies at our house in no time!

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Wonderful cookie! The batter mixes up so fast and easy. I used the quinoa flakes, white flour (all I had on hand) and added 1/4-1/3 cup chopped pecans. Mine overcooked at 14 minutes using a dark cookie sheet and parchment paper but were still wonderful! Just made them again tonight using sesame seed butter instead of peanut butter. They are looser and more fragile with the sesame seed butter. I think I prefer the peanut butter better. Will continue to make again and again.

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I bought a jar of tahini to make Spiced Sweet Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Hummus (delicous) and was looking for different ways to use the tahini when I came across this recipe. My MIL has celiacs so I thought it the perfect one to try. Although it took a bit to find quinoa flakes (we only keep whole quinoa on hand), it was well worth the hunt! I followed the recipe exactly as written for lower altitude and my cookies came our softer rather than crispy - I'm guessing that using whole quinoa makes them crispier? Either way, my two kids (who like quinoa) as well as two neighbour's kids (who've never had quinoa or tahini) gobbled them up. Definately a keeper!

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I really enjoyed these cookies! I've tried quinoa in the past so I did try a couple of preparation methods before adding the quinoa to the cookie dough. I used the rinsing technique in Quinoa Pudding and followed that with the toasting technique in Quinoa-Toasted. I followed the rest of the instructions as stated. The dough was quite soft and the cookies spread out somewhat while baking. The end result was a very nicely browned thin cookie. The edges were golden and crunchy while the middle was nice and soft. The quinoa itself gave the cookies a nice crunchy texture. My headache prone daughter loved them so I know we'll be making them often. Thanks for sharing this unique and yummy recipe! (oh ya, I did end up with 24 cookies)

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Not bad, but not good either. I subbed half white and half wheat flour for the rice flour, and used half tahini and half peanut butter. They tasted like peanut butter cookies with sand in them. I don't have any allergies and am not on a restrictive diet...just wanted to use up some quinoa. The recipe didn't say to cook the quinoa beforehand..maybe that would have made a difference? They came out fine, just don't taste great.

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These are good little gluten free, egg free cookies fresh from the oven. We didn't enjoy them so much later after they were sitting a few hours out. They have an interesting crispy texture and pretty quick to make. I used pasteurised creamed honey from the regular grocers, sweet butter (unsalted), tahini, white rice flour, quinoa flakes, sea salt, plus the rest of the ingredients, no optional vanilla. I would like to make these again both with the quinoa flakes and trying with whole quinoa toasted in a dry pan or maybe even cooked.

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A nice substitute for oatmeal cookies! Similar texture, different taste. I used 1/4cup of brown sugar in place of 1/3 cup, and the batch came out sweet enough for my own preferences. I also made my own nut butter, mostly with walnuts and a handful of almonds, as I'm not a fan of peanut butter and have never tried tahini. I also utilized the low altitude measurements. They came out quite flat once I took them out of the oven, and only took about 8 minutes to bake. They may not have actually needed that amount of time to completely bake; perhaps my cookie balls were just too small. Sprinkling a bit of cinnamon over top also tastes quite wonderful, bringing out the brown sugar and reminding me even more of oatmeal cookies. I'll be sure to try the recipe again, perhaps incorporating come raisins, chopped nuts, or even chocolate or carob in need of being used up! Oh, and the cookie sheets used were older, darker sheets, which may have affected cooking time; the first batch stuck quite a bit, and the 2nd seemed to come off without much issue, so I'll be sure to use better sheets next time.

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I adapted this recipe for what I had on hand into something completely different. I used agave nectar instead of honey and sugar, PB instead of tahini, oil instead of margarine, and oats instead of quinoa. The cookies were very crumbly but much more moist than most GF cookies I've made, and I look forward to trying the quinoa version sometime!

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Weird but yummy cookies, couldn't stop munching on them. Liked the Quinoa texture it gave. I used Peanut butter as i was out of Tahini, next time i will try it with Tahini.

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These cookies are AMAZING!!!! They are sooo yummy with a perfect crunchy soft texture. Mmm, addictive! :)
The quinoa gives them such a crunchy twist and yummy nutty flavour. What a cool idea to add that to a cookie recipe! I used black quinoa and cooked one third of it before adding it to the dough. I really liked having only a few crunchy quinoa pieces from the raw quinoa. I think quinoa flakes would also be nice, but I really enjoyed this version a lot, so I doubt Im going to try another one.
I reduced both sugar and honey by half and still the cookies are very sweet for my taste, but that might also be due to using a sweetened cashew butter in place of the tahini.
My cookies needed 18 minutes baking time and spread a lot. I had no trouble with the dough being crumbly, it was more like muffin batter in fact.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing this amazing recipe wit us, Headache helper! Ill make it often again for sure trying different add ins, nut butters and quinoas.
Made and reviewed for the Loving from the oven event in the photo forum June 2011.

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These were very unique cookies. I did not use rice flour, since I do not have that on hand, and used regular quinoa that I toasted with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar. I was hoping for a crunchier cookie, but the qunioa definitely gives it an interesting texture. I added an egg to half of my batch like another reviewer suggested, but we preferred the traditional recipe without egg. I baked on parchment paper for 10 minutes, and they were perfect. I love the honey-tahini flavors mixed together!

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Turned out pretty good! I did not have rice flour so did half whole wheat and half white. Also I cooked the quinoa first, I did not have quinoa flakes. I was worried that there was no eggs but they turned out great. I also added chocolate chips hoping to win over the kids but I don't think they needed them.

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This recipe is delicious. I used quinoa flakes as some people have talked about it. I took your suggestions since I don't live in a high altitude place and also since I didn't have rice flour, I used half white/half whole wheat flour. I know it ruins it for those who live gluten free but everyone here loved the cookies. Got like 30-something cookies in total. Very easy to make and the tahini gives them a very special taste. Thanks! I'll keep this one.

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These are really good! I ground up some brown rice in my vitamix dry canister to make the rice flour. I also ground up the quinoa in the vitamix, but not quite as long as I did the rice. I used 1/4 cup of agave and 1/4 cup of maple syrup to replace the honey. I also added some chocolate chips to the mix. The batter itself is very tasty and the cookies turned out pretty well. Some of them fell apart very easily, but I cooked the next batch a bit longer and that seemed to remedy that. 15 minutes worked best for me.

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These were pretty good - especially for gluten free! I wasn't sure if I should cook the quinoa first, so I didn't. They tasted a touch "raw' - think I will try cooked, left over quinoa next time. Thanks so much for

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so so SO good. thanks for a gluten/lactose/egg free recipe!!

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These are sooo delicious. I could not stop eating the dough as it tasted like nutty honey-butter. I will definitely make these often. I used quinoa flakes and may try whole quinoa (though I would cook or soak it a little first) next time. They come out beautifully round and professional looking.

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