Oven Baked Falafel Recipe

I have adapted more than one online falafel recipe to arrive at one of my own. It was so popular at my last party that I promised to share the recipe with my guests. It went as follows:

Oven Baked Falafels

Ingredients
2 cups dried chickpeas
1 small brown onion, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley,
3-5 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
a pinch of ground cardamon
1 1/2 tbsp tahini
sesame seeds to garnish or roll in to taste
olive oil (optional)

Method
Soak the chickpeas overnight in cold water.
Drain well.
Combine all ingredients in a food processor.
Set aside for 30 minutes to develop flavours.
Preheat oven to 220°C.
Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Use a teaspoon to scoop mixture, and roll into slightly flattened balls. Place directly onto baking paper - or onto a plate first if you're not sure about spacing.
Garnish with a pinch of sesame seeds - gently pat into the surface on top. Or, roll in sesame seeds if you are that way inclined!
Optional: spray lightly with olive oil. I use a refillable atomiser. The oil adds extra flavour and helps them brown up nicely, but you will still get a reasonable result without it.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve hot with dips. Hommus, tzatziki and aioli are harmonious combinations with these falafels.
Serve cold in a vegetarian/salad sandwich in place of meat.
Can be frozen.