Sesame Cardamom Cookies

3/4 cup tahini (sesame paste) 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil 1 large egg 2 teaspoons baking powder pinch salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts For garnish: 1 cup confectioners’ sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom Other: 3 mini-muffin trays (with 1 dozen cups) 3 dozen mini-muffin paper baking cups	1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. In a medium bowl, combine sesame paste, oil and egg. 3. Add baking powder and salt and mix again to combine. 4. Add the ground cardamom, brown sugar, flour, and chopped nuts and mix until a dry dough is formed (if too hard to mix with a spoon, use your hands to kneed the dough together). 5. Line the mini muffin tray(s) with mini paper cups (no need to grease the pan). 6. Take a measuring tablespoon and scoop out enough dough to fill it. Using the palm of your hand, press the dough firmly into the spoon to make a compact semi-circle. 7. Using the tip of your thumb, gently slide the compressed dough out of the spoon and into one of the paper cups in the muffin tray. Gently press the dough down with the tips of your fingers to fill the cup out a bit. Continue in this manner until all the cups have been filled. 8. Place the trays onto the middle rack in the oven (if you have more than one tray and can’t fit them all on the middle rack, then use the top and middle). Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown on top. 9. Remove the trays from the oven and allow to fully cool before removing each cup (cookies are delicate and crumble easily when hot), about 20 to 30 minutes. (Once fully cooled, cookies may be frozen in an airtight plastic container between layers of wax or parchment paper; Allow to thaw 1 hour before serving.) To Serve (you may serve cookies in or out of the paper cups): 1. With paper cups: Remove the cups from the trays and place them onto a large plate. Leaving the cookies in the cups, sprinkle with the powdered sugar-cardamom mixture. Arrange each sprinkled cookie-cup on a clean platter or plate. Serve at room temperature. 2. Without paper cups: Remove the cookies from their paper cups, and place them all upside down (browned-side down) onto a large plate. Sprinkle all of the cookies first with the powdered sugar-cardamom mixture, then taking one cookie at a time, carefully arrange each one on a clean platter or plate. Serve at room temperature. Yield: Serves 12 to 15 (About 3 dozen cookies)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, combine sesame paste, oil and egg.

3. Add baking powder and salt and mix again to combine.

4. Add the ground cardamom, brown sugar, flour, and chopped nuts and mix until a dry dough is formed (if too hard to mix with a spoon, use your hands to kneed the dough together).

5. Line the mini muffin tray(s) with mini paper cups (no need to grease the pan).

6. Take a measuring tablespoon and scoop out enough dough to fill it. Using the palm of your hand, press the dough firmly into the spoon to make a compact semi-circle.

7. Using the tip of your thumb, gently slide the compressed dough out of the spoon and into one of the paper cups in the muffin tray. Gently press the dough down with the tips of your fingers to fill the cup out a bit. Continue in this manner until all the cups have been filled.

8. Place the trays onto the middle rack in the oven (if you have more than one tray and can’t fit them all on the middle rack, then use the top and middle). Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown on top.

9. Remove the trays from the oven and allow to fully cool before removing each cup (cookies are delicate and crumble easily when hot), about 20 to 30 minutes.
(Once fully cooled, cookies may be frozen in an airtight plastic container between layers of wax or parchment paper; Allow to thaw 1 hour before serving.)

To Serve
(you may serve cookies in or out of the paper cups):
1. With paper cups:
Remove the cups from the trays and place them onto a large plate. Leaving the cookies in the cups, sprinkle with the powdered sugar-cardamom mixture. Arrange each sprinkled cookie-cup on a clean platter or plate. Serve at room temperature.

2. Without paper cups:
Remove the cookies from their paper cups, and place them all upside down (browned-side down) onto a large plate. Sprinkle all of the cookies first with the powdered sugar-cardamom mixture, then taking one cookie at a time, carefully arrange each one on a clean platter or plate. Serve at room temperature.

Yield: Serves 12 to 15 (About 3 dozen cookies)