Tehina Health Cookies

My friend, Tzippy, gave me the recipe for these delicious cookies.  She sent me the marvelous pictures below from the last time she made the cookies.  Tzippy notes that she always makes a double batch, so I assume that is what the pictures are showing.

Tehina is sesame paste most commonly used to make a mild or savory dip by the same name.  Make sure you buy pure sesame paste (there may be oil on top like natural peanut butter), and not the dip mixed with water, lemon, garlic, etc.  In the U.S you may need to look in the kosher, ethnic, or health food aisle.  Sesame paste is also used to make the dessert halva.  If you appreciate good halva, you will enjoy these cookies.

Sesame seeds (and thus, these cookies) are high in protein, and especially rich in some amino acids not easy acquired from vegetarian sources.  Tzippy is always telling me that my kids and I should eat more tehina.  One tablespoon of tehina/sesame paste contains 16 mcg of folic acid, 153.6 mg calcium, and 3.07 mg iron.  Unhulled sesame seeds have additional benefits, and are a great topping to pasta salad, baked goods, cereals, and dips.

Tehina / Halva Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup of whole wheat flour

1/4 cup molasses (or brown sugar)

1/2 cup whole Tehina

1/3 cup canola oil

5 drops vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. vanilla sugar - optional (Tzippy just adds a bit more molasses)

cinnamon - if you like

fruit jam - 100% fruit with no sugar or anything else added. I like berries the most.

1. Mix all ingredients except  the jam.

2. Make little balls and flatten slightly, creating a depression in one middle.

3. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C or 350 F.

4. Fill the depressions with the jam and bake 10-12 minutes only.

* It's very important to keep the time. If you bake too much, the cookies come out bitter!

5. Wait until the cookies cool before you move them, or they crumble.

It is recommended to store the cookies in the refrigerator, though they won't be negatively effected if you leave them out for company, or even hide them in a cabinet for a couple days.