These tahini chocolate chip cookies lean a little more bakery case than bake sale (but if you make them for the bake sale, be prepared to sell out).
They are big in size and big in flavor, with crinkly edges and soft, buttery middles studded with plenty of melty chocolate. In other words, they are exactly what we all want from a homemade chocolate chip cookie, but the tahini kicks them into dinner party territory. The kind that makes you want to pour a class of milk and also maybe slip into that little black dress or pull out the bowtie that's been hiding in the back of your closet for way too long.
Finished with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, this is the kind of cookie that feels comforting and familiar but with just enough intrigue to keep you coming back for more.
Jump to:
Just the facts
- A blend of all-purpose flour + whole wheat flour = chewy, tender consistency and extra warm, nutty flavor.
- Tahini adds a rich, toasty, nutty flavor that makes the cookies taste an interesting combination of chocolate halva crossed with a really good bakery-style chocolate chip cookie.
- Refrigerating the dough overnight gives these cookies an intense caramel flavor and a thicker, chewier texture.
- A touch of almond extract softens tahini's bitter edges and intensifies the grown-up nutty flavor.
- Big 75-gram scoops of dough push these cookies into bakery territory.
- Bittersweet chocolate + flaky salt = happiness. Obviously.
Last month, Steve and I went to Paris with two of our favorite people, all of us there for the first time. As you are supposed to do in Paris, we ate. A lot.
One night, we got dressed up and splurged on a fancy dinner at a fine dining restaurant. We topped the night off with bowls of chocolate mousse and warm chocolate chip cookies topped with ice cream, and as we dug in, we noticed something unusual... it all tasted of sesame. Or maybe soy sauce? We weren't exactly sure, but what we did know is that our desserts were laced with an peculiar savory Asian flavor.
We asked our server about it... Is there soy or sesame in our desserts? No, he reassured us. No soy. No sesame. Just chocolate mouse and chocolate chip cookies with caramel sauce.
Are you certain? we asked.
Absolutely!, he replied.
Conspiratorially, I whispered to our table that obviously our server didn't know what he was talking about because there was absolutely sesame in there. And maybe soy sauce.
Suddenly my husband exclaimed: "The caramel sauce is not caramel sauce!" We dipped our fingers into the caramel sauce on the edge of his plate to discover that it was, in fact... sesame dressing. Like the kind of sesame dressing you'd drizzle over salad or roasted veggies.
Like... not caramel sauce.
We called our server back over. After listening to our assessment, he turned to the kitchen (which was right next to our table) and asked a question, in French of course. The young pastry chef picked up the bottle of caramel sauce and gave it a shake. We watched the horrified expression on her face as she realized what we already knew: the caramel sauce was not caramel sauce.
The entire kitchen erupted in laughter as she rushed to our table to apologize. But you know what? It kind of worked.
Sesame and chocolate are a delightful combination and while I would never suggest that you start dipping your chocolate chip cookies in sesame vinaigrette, a healthy dose of tahini is a different story.
So that's what we have here, my friends: Gooey, chewy, soft-in-the-middle cookies studded with melty chocolate and infused with the warm, nutty flavor of ground sesame seeds. Think of these as the more sophisticated version of chocolate chip peanut butter cookies with creamy ground sesame seeds stepping in for peanuts.
I knew I was going to create this recipe the moment we walked out of the restaurant onto the streets of Paris if only for the excuse to tell you this story. But can I just say that good stories and warm tahini flavored chocolate chip cookies are an exceptional combination. Just save the dressing for your salad.
xo
Love this site but hate the ads?
Join today and you'll never see another ad again.
Step-by-step photos and instructions
Mixing the dough for these cookies is a simple process that only takes a few minutes. But then comes the hard part... refrigerating the dough for at least 24 hours. You won't want to wait. You'll want to bake the cookies immediately. But, I implore you to be patient.
Refrigerating cookie dough for several hours significantly improves the flavor and the texture of these cookies. It will be worth it, I promise.
Add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt to a bowl and stir with a wire whisk to blend.
Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, tahini, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and almond extract on medium-high speed until the mixture is light in color and looks fluffy and aerated.
Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl before adding the next.
Add the flour mixture and the chocolate chips and mix on low speed just until blended.
Scrape the dough into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.
When you're ready to bake (finally!), line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper, preheat the oven and shape the dough into very large balls of dough.
Set the balls of dough on the baking sheets, spacing them at least 4-inches apart, and place the tray in the oven to bake.
Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, sprinkle them with a bit of flaky sea salt. This is optional, of course, but that little crunch of salt with every chewy melted chocolate-filled bite is soooooo good.
Because one can never have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes
- Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Brown Sugar Cookies
- Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies with Brown Butter
- White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies {Extra Gooey}
- Perfectly Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Skillet Cookie with Chocolate Chips and Oatmeal
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to rate this recipe and leave a comment for me.
Happy baking!
📖 Recipe
Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are big in size and big in flavor, with crinkly edges and soft, buttery middles studded with plenty of melty chocolate. In other words, they are exactly what we want from a homemade chocolate chip cookie. But the tahini kicks them into dinner party territory. The kind that makes you want to pour a class of milk and also maybe slip into that little black dress or pull out the bowtie that's been hiding in the back of your closet for way too long.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 grams) all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (85 grams) whole wheat flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon table salt, OR 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ cup (8 tablespoons/ 113 grams) butter, salted or unsalted (*See note), at room temperature
- ½ cup tahini paste (*See note)
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups (319 grams) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 12 ounces (2 cups/ 340 grams) bittersweet chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
- Add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt to a bowl and stir with a wire whisk to blend.
- Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, tahini, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and almond extract on medium-high speed until the mixture is light in color and looks fluffy and aerated. This will take 3-5 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time.
- Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl before adding the next.
- Add the flour mixture and the chocolate chips and mix on low speed just until blended. Use a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon to give the dough a final stir just to ensure that everything is blended together.
- Scrape the dough into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.
- When you're ready to bake, line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350° F (176°C).
- Form the dough into ¼ cup size balls that weigh approximately 75 grams. You should have 20 to 22 balls of dough. Set the balls of dough on the baking sheets, spacing them at least 4-inches apart.
- Bake the cookies in the center of the oven, one sheet at a time, for 14-18 minutes. Keep the remaining balls of cookie dough in the refrigerator while baking the first batch. The cookies are done when the edges are set but the center of the cookies still looks doughy and underdone. Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle with a bit of flaky sea salt.
- Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet until they are firm enough to move without falling apart then transfer to a wire baking rack to cool completely.
Notes
I like a lot of salt in my chocolate chip cookies so usually go for salted butter in this recipe. But this is a matter of personal preference. If you want to go easier on the salt, use unsalted butter.
Not all tahini paste is created equal: My favorite brand is Soom which you'll find linked below.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 22 Serving Size: 1 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 405Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 245mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 4gSugar: 28gProtein: 7g
SAVE THIS RECIPE
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
This site is protected by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Comments
No Comments