Sesame-Coconut Shortbreads
Published May 14, 2025
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 45 minutes, plus chilling and cooling time
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes, plus chilling and cooling time
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
¾ cup/185 grams unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar
Scant ½ cup/120 grams tahini
Scant ¼ cup/60 grams honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups/256 grams cake flour (or use all-purpose)
½ cup/25 grams unsweetened shredded coconut, preferably finely shredded
¼ cup/38 grams sesame seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
19 grams carbs; 17 milligrams cholesterol; 174 calories; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 10 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 71 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein; 9 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Put butter, sugar, tahini, honey and vanilla in a medium bowl, and whisk until sugar dissolves.
- Step 2
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, coconut, sesame seeds, baking powder and salt.
- Step 3
Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat with a wooden spoon until well incorporated and a soft dough is formed.
- Step 4
Divide dough into 2 pieces. Roll each piece into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, up to overnight. (The dough also freezes well.)
- Step 5
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the logs into ½-inch slices, and arrange across 2 baking sheets. Bake until very lightly browned, 10 to 13 minutes. Let cool completely, then use a small strainer to dust the cookies with a thin layer of powdered sugar before transferring to a platter or cookie tin.
Private Notes
Comments
I wanted a dairy free cookie so I replace butter with canola oil. You need a little extra oil or a little less flour to make this work. I dusted the cookies with combination of powdered sugar and cocoa powder. They were a big success.
Not sure what happened, but my cookies grew, flattened out completely, and formed a single cookie that filled the pan and that is the thickness of a cracker.
Can you substitute sweetened coconut if you cut back on the sugar?
These are easy & delicious. I tried a second version skipping the powdered sugar & melting dark chocolate chips on top instead, which really works with the tahini & coconut.
Scrumptious. Unusual. We served them at a party and they were a big hit.
Tasty unique flavor combination. I will make again and bake longer at a lower temperature, my cookies were chewier in the center than a true shortbread. And maybe a tad less honey and sugar. Love the sesame and coconut flavor combination.