Tahini Funfetti Cookies
Vegan, gluten-free, wholegrain
Can anyone say no to funfetti? I think not.
These cookies. I have made the umpteen times and they deliver every time. Why? Well let me tell you.
I am a bit of a cookie fiend/snob but I have an affection for certain junk foods. One of those foods is that funfetti frosting that comes in a plastic tub. I would eat it by the spoonful (no shame in my game). While it was delicious, I cannot imagine how much sugar there was in each of those spoonfuls. And then I found those funfetti frosted sugar cookies in the super market and it was love at first bite. Again, the amount of sugar in those things (not to mention the preservatives and stabilizers) was shocking in my adult eyes.
I have been asked many times to make funfetti cookies. When it comes to things that you grew up with, there is that nostalgic taste tied to these cookies. We all remember things a certain way and the emotions tied to them. So trying to balance that nostalgia with the desire to make funfetti cookies that would be better-ish for you would not be easy. But it is a labor of love (and slight OCD).
When creating these cookies, I wanted to keep the vanilla flavor, but temper the sweetness and use ingredients that are just a little bit better for you (but they are still sweet treats). These cookies are the perfect balance of sweetness with some earthy, toasted flavor thanks to tahini and sorghum flour.
With that, let’s get into the ingredients, per usual.
Tahini
I realize that nearly everything I make has tahini in it, but there is a good reason for that. Well a few reasons. Tahini not only has the fat that we need for these cookies, but also the flavor. First, fat is very important when it comes to a good cookie. Fat makes a moist (yes, I said that word) cookie, but also a tender, semi-gooey cookies. The earthy and ironically nutty flavor of tahini balances out the sweetness and the floral vanilla.
When you are buying a tahini, they are not all the same. Like I have said before, some can be incredibly bitter and no amount of sugar can cover that. My absolute favorite tahinis are Soom Foods and Seed + Mill. Both are woman-owned, delicious and you can buy them online. And no, I am not sponsored by either, just really love both of them.
There are other tahinis that work: Joya (warning: this one is hard to stir), Alkanater, or Whole Foods’ Organic tahini.
Substitutions for tahini? You can really use any very runny nut butter. The resulting color of the cookies might be a little darker if you use almond butter or a dark roasted peanut butter.
Sweet Rice and Sorghum Flours
I can be a bit obsessive about learning about different ingredients. Naturally, I am a very curious person who believes that more information is always better. So when it came to learning about gluten-free flours, I went all in.
There are a lot of gluten-free flours out there and each has their own unique properties. For these cookies, I like to use a mix that will enhance the nutty flavor of the tahini, but also give me the chewy, soft cookie I want.
Sweet rice flour is made from glutenous rice (ironic since it is gluten-free) and sometimes called Mochi flour since that is what it is used to make. If you mix sweet rice flour and water, you will end up with a starchy gloop. I realize that does not sound appetizing, but that is exactly why I want to use this flour. Most gluten-free grain flours can make baked goods very crumbly. Sweet rice flour helps to bind things together and give a chewy texture to the cookie.
Sorghum flour is one of those gluten-free flours that I always have in my pantry. This wholegrain flour has a mild nutty flavor that is reminiscent of whole wheat and happens to be pretty darn good for you. It is high in fiber and protein along with other nutrients. However, as I said above, gluten-free flours can make very crumbly baked goods. Sorghum flour is one of those flours so it always needs a binding agent added (like sweet rice and tapioca flours).
Can you substitute another flour? Sure. You can use almond and tapioca flours if you are grain-free. You can use an all purpose gluten-free flour mix. You may need to add a little bit less than the 1 cup. Those gluten-free mixes can be very starchy, so err on the side of less and let the flour absorb the moisture.
If you are not gluten-free, you can use a mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour.
Sprinkles
Sprinkles really just make everything better. I cannot get an ice cream without getting sprinkles on it. Ice cream is just naked without them. Since I eat ice cream every day, I always have sprinkles in my kitchen. There are a variety of sprinkles. I have 3 types: regular old rainbow, naturally colored rainbow and naturally colored, soy and palm-free sprinkles.
All of those types will work for these cookies, so use the ones you can find or that you have on hand. I did not give a specific amount in this recipe because sprinkle amounts are subjective. I like less (about 1/4 cup), but you can add nearly 3/4 of a cup. Just save some for sprinkling on top.
And now, cookie time!
RECIPE
113g (4oz/ about 1/2 cup) tahini
28g (1oz / around 3 tbsp) olive or avocado oil
57g (2oz) maple syrup
When it made these cookies exactly one year ago…
57g (2oz/ about 6tbsp) cane sugar
57g (about 1/4 cup) water
1 tsp vanilla
50g (1/4 cup) sweet rice flour
34g (1/4 cup) tapioca flour
74g (1/2 cup) sorghum flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
A handful of sprinkles (some people like more, some like less. I like to use the naturally-colored ones)
In a smallish bowl, mix together the flours, baking soda, salt and sprinkles. You want to get out any lumps in the flours and get things good and mixed.
In a medium bowl, combine the tahini, olive oil, maple syrup and cane sugar. It should combine to a smooth mixture, with a little bit of graininess from the sugar. That’s just fine. Add the water and whisk in until you have a smooth, loose mixture.
Add the mixed dry ingredients and fold into the tahini-maple-sugar mixture. This will be a sticky dough; it makes it a lot easier to chill the dough before scooping onto the baking sheet.
While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop (or a spoon and your hands), dollop the dough on the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each mound.
If you feel fancy, top each dough mound with more sprinkles and sesame seeds. Bake for 12-15 minutes, just until the edges start to turn golden brown.
Let cool for about 15 minutes before removing from the baking sheet and promptly put it in your mouth.
This recipe makes about 8-10 large cookies and 12-14 small cookies.