Explore a global journey of sweet delights

I didn’t know Duru quite as long as some of the other exchange students, but I was immediately inspired by her intelligence, her commitment to global citizenship, and her insistence on a specific flavor challenge: not just pistachio, and not just tahini—but both.

This combination is a true reflection of her home, Turkey, where the pistachio is much more than an agricultural pillar; it’s part of a regional identity. The Turkish variety, the Gaziantep pistachio (named for the city), is so vital that the city is often called the pistachio capital and has been a UNESCO City of Gastronomy since 2015. Attending one of their annual pistachio festivals has officially been added to my bucket list!

Tahini is another cultural powerhouse in Turkey, which is a major global producer. Domestically, tahini is often combined with grape molasses (pekmez) to create a sweet spread. However, because Duru specifically challenged me with plain tahini, that’s exactly what went into these cookies. (But don’t worry—pekmez experiments are definitely coming soon!)

Creating this cookie was genuinely enjoyable. I love pistachio, so even the “failures” were delicious experiments! The final recipe rose to Duru’s specific challenge, combining the richness of tahini, the buttery crunch of pistachio, and a warm kiss of cardamom. It immediately became a crowd favorite among my taste-testers.

I drizzled the cookies with glaze, but I think they’d be delicious dipped in the glaze as well.

Salted Pistachio and Tahini Cookies with Raspberry Cardamom Glaze
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Salted Pistachio and Tahini Cookies with Raspberry Cardamom Glaze

Recipe by Sarah
0.0 from 0 votes
Difficulty: Medium
Yield
+
–

3

dozen
Prep time

20

minutes
Baking time

40

minutes
Total time

0

minutes

Ingredients

  • Pistachio Tahini Cookie Dough

  • 6 ounces salted pistachios

  • 3/4 cup tahini

  • 1/2 cup butter

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar

  • 1 egg

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 3 tablespoons milk

  • 2 tablespoons tahini

  • 2 cups flour

  • 1 teaspoon cardamom

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • Raspberry Cardamom Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar

  • 3 tablespoons raspberry jam (seeded and seedless both work)

  • 2 tablespoons milk

  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom

  • 1 teaspoon water

Directions

  • Salted Pistachio and Tahini Cookie Dough
  • In a food processor, finely grind 6 ounces of pistachios. Add 3/4 cup of tahini and mix until a mixture the texture of a nut butter.
  • In a stand mixer or a bowl, cream the butter, sugars, and pistachio-tahini mixture together.
  • Add the egg, vanilla extract, milk, and tahini and stir to combine.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom, baking soda and salt.
  • Add the flour to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
  • Raspberry Cardamom Glaze
  • Combine the powdered sugar, raspberry jam, cardamom, and milk in a bowl and whisk together. Add water a teaspoon at a time until it is at the desired consistency.
  • Assembly
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough, roll into a ball, and place no more than nine on a baking sheet.
  • Press each ball down with the palm of your hand until it is about half an inch thick.
  • Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes.
  • Allow the baked cookies to cool completely on the cookie sheets, then drizzle glaze over cookies.