Cookies cookies cookies! The holiday season is upon us and if you like to bake, it can be a bit overwhelming choosing the right cookies for the right occasions. So many recipes to choose from, so little time!

But here's a good place to start: Avoid all the trans-fat, sugar-infused cookies that send your kids on a crazed sugar rush, and instead, make these delicious ones that are healthy and full of good fat.

If you've not heard of tahini, you've, of course, heard of sesame seeds. Tahini is a ground sesame seed paste, similar to peanut butter. It is creamy and smooth just like nut butter and very rich in calcium. In fact, sesame seeds have about ten times the amount of calcium as milk. Sesame seeds also contain magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, dietary fiber and a good source of vegetarian protein.

When purchasing tahini, read your labels carefully because some manufacturers add additional oils. I recommend purchasing one with no added oils (buy the good stuff!), so that the tahini is made only from pure ground sesame seeds.

Thanks to my friend Cecily, who is a yoga instructor in Toronto, for this awesome recipe. Her mother has been making it for years and every time she does, she adds in a new twist such as chocolate chips or dried cranberries. Cecily says her mom is a "cookie-a-holic". I have to admit, so am I. So when she sent me this recipe, I was very joyous about trying it and posting it for all of you!

For all you cookie-a-holics, the cookie recipe is after the jump

Did I mention just how easy this recipe is to make? I love recipes with few ingredients. If you have holiday parties and want to knock the socks off your friends with these super healthy "good-fat" infused cookies, then read on!

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons tahini paste
1/4 tsp of sea salt
3/4 cup honey (preferably unpasteurized)
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds (not roasted or salted)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup dried cranberries - these give the recipe a festive punch!

Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place spoonfuls of the cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Makes a little over a dozen cookies.

While tahini is high in fat, it's a source of "good fat". The vast majority of this fat is mono- and poly- unsaturated. They contain a small amount of omega 3, but mostly have omega 6 essential fatty acids. For all the fat-phobics out there, please remember that fat is what satisfies your belly, so if you skip the good fat, then often you will crave more carbs!

EnJOY!

Joy McCarthy, owner of Joyous Health, is a certified holistic nutritionist and health coach with a passion for inspiring people to eat well, live well and feel more joyous on a daily basis. Joy welcomes your questions or comments and although you may not receive a response, your submission will certainly be read and may be selected as a topic for a future column.