slice and bake tahini cookies

last updated on October 29, 2026

For day 4 of my 12 Days of Christmas Recipes we are making slice and bake tahini cookies, drizzled in chocolate! These are soft, crumbly shortbread cookies, and the dough gets rolled into a log so you can easily slice and bake. They feel so festive and are perfect for the holidays. They have an ever-so-slight tahini taste that really makes these next level!

The holidays are the time where it feels like everyone is making sweets. And I love it. I live for it. Plus holiday cookies are especially fun because we make flavors or varieties of cookies that we don’t make nearly as much or at all the rest of the year. Slice and bake cookies are a prime example of that! They are definitely made at other times, but the holidays is when they are at full force, which we love.

ingredients needed for these slice and bake tahini cookies

• 1 cup cold butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 3 cups flour (390 grams)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chocolate

tips and tricks

1. One tricky thing about slice and bake cookies is that it can be hard to get a perfectly round log of cookie dough. The best way I’ve found to get around this is to wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and tin foil! The tin foil somehow makes it stay round while it is chilling in the fridge.
2. Don’t skip the chill time! These cookies are shortbread cookies, so it is really important for the butter to be cold. Once you mix the dough together, it has started to warm up so it needs time to harden up again in the fridge. I know chilling your dough can be annoying, but I promise it is worth it for these!
3. One of my favorite things about these cookies is that they are rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Cinnamon and tahini work incredibly well together, so don’t worry. The best time to roll the dough in cinnamon and sugar is just after the dough has been mixed and formed into a log, right before it is put in the fridge. The dough is soft enough at this point that the cinnamon and sugar will perfectly stick to the sides, and it gives it such a nice finishing touch!

how to store these slice and bake tahini cookies (freezer included!)

If you happen to have a few cookies left over, keep the extras in an airtight container. They don’t need to be kept in the fridge, on the counter is fine. If you have leftover dough (or just don’t want to bake these immediately) you have a couple options: if you are going to bake them soon, just leave the log of cookie dough in the fridge! It will stay good for several days. If you aren’t going to bake them anytime soon, stick the log in the freezer! Since we are wrapping the cookie dough with plastic wrap and tin foil, it is ready for the freezer! These will stay good in the freezer for about 3 months.

other holiday recipes you will love

• gingerbread banana pudding
• peppermint oreo truffles
• cranberry brown sugar cookies
• chocolate peppermint oreo cookies

slice and bake tahini cookies

[category] Dessert

[published] December 6, 2022

[PREP] 20 minutes mins

[COOK] 10 minutes mins

[TOTAL] 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, cold and cubed
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (390 grams)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chocolate
• flakey salt

Instructions

1. Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and mix for 3-4 minutes, until totally combined and fluffier.
2. Add tahini, egg yolks, and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add flour and salt and mix until just combined.
3. The dough should be a bit crumbly, but should easily come together when you squeeze some in your hand. If it does not easily come together, add 1 tsp additions of cold water to the dough until it easily does.
4. Transfer the dough to your work surface. Cut the dough in half and roll into a log, about 2 inches thick. Add the cinnamon and sugar to a plate and mix until combined. Roll each log of dough in the cinnamon and sugar until the outside is completely coated.
5. Wrap each dough log in plastic wrap, then in tin foil (the tin foil helps it stay more perfectly round). Transfer to the fridge for at least one hour (or up to 4 days).
6. Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350 F. Unwrap the dough and use a sharp knife to cut the dough into about 1/4 inch slices. Transfer up to 12 slices to a lined baking sheet.
7. Bake for 8-11 minutes, until the cookies are barely just starting to brown. Transfer to a cooling rack. While the cookies cool, melt the chocolate — add the chocolate chips to a bowl and microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until the chocolate is smooth and melted.
8. Once the cookies have cooled, drizzle melted chocolate onto each cookie. Top with a pinch of flakey salt and enjoy!