Sesame Pekmez Cookies (Easy 3-Ingredient Dessert)

Sesame paste (tahini) with pekmez (traditional fruit molasses) is a popular dip/spread combo in Turkey. These sesame pekmez cookies contain the classic Turkish flavours in a baked form.

Sweetness to Taste

The great thing about these cookies is that the unbaked dough is completely edible. After all, it’s just tahini, syrup, and almond flour. So one benefit of that (aside from being able to eat raw cookie dough, which is already a huge plus) is you can adjust the sweetness in this recipe to your personal preference.

For example, in my family it’s insanely hard to bake sweet treats that please everyone. For the same batch of cookies, my mom will say it’s too sweet and my boyfriend will say it’s not sweet enough. UGH. (That was definitely the case for my first go at this recipe…) And I’m sure that goes for some of you readers as well. So if you’re someone who likes only a hint of sweetness in their desserts, start with a 1/4 cup of pekmez (80 g) and taste a little to see if it’s enough; if not, keep adding. And if you love super sweet things you might want to add a bit more than what I’ve suggested in the recipe.

Where to Find Ingredients

For the most basic version of this cookie, all you’ll need are pekmez or any kind of syrup; tahini (sesame paste); and almond flour. An optional ingredient is mahlab. Mahlab is a traditional Turkish spice that adds an interesting flavour to baked goods; I added just a pinch but you can leave it out with no issue, or try substituting with your favourite spice! So far, I’ve tried this recipe with cinnamon and cocoa powder and both have been pretty yummy. I prefer to use dut pekmez (mulberry molasses) in this recipe, but it works very nicely with other pekmez varieties such as grape or carob. Each one will lend a different flavour to the finished cookie. For example, I find that carob molasses gives the cookies a strong, almost medicinal flavour. If you are unsure, I would stick with mulberry molasses as the most palatable option.

I ordered the pekmez and mahlab from Turkish Bazaar, and the tahini from there as well, though you can also find it at most grocery stores (Superstore, No Frills, Sobeys, etc). The almond flour I used was from Costco, though I’ve also used almond flour from Bulk Barn.

Recipe Card

Recipe Notes

1. I prefer to use dut pekmez (mulberry molasses) in this recipe, but it works very nicely with other pekmez varieties such as grape or carob. Agave syrup is a decent substitute if you don’t have pekmez. Maple syrup can also be used, but it’ll add a totally different flavour to the cookies.

Nutrition, Cost, and Emissions Information

Each sesame pekmez cookie with toppings is 190 cal, costs $0.29, and releases 58 gCO₂e of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

Calculation for full recipe as written (12 cookies):

Feel free to contact me for sources on the nutritional and carbon emissions information presented here. Note that I am not a nutritionist and guidelines on this page are provided for informational purposes only.