These are not your average chocolate chip cookies. These tahini chocolate chunk cookies are soft on the inside and crisp on the outside.
Tahini Chocolate Pairing
This tahini chocolate chip cookies are ooey-gooey addicting. And, they taste nutty without the use of any nuts!
While the tahini flavors are not very prominent, you do notice a sense of nuttiest with each bite. The richness of sesame paste pairs wonderfully with earthy sweetness of chocolate. For best results, use semi-sweet or dark chocolate.
These cookies are soft and chewy on the inside with just the right amount of crispiness along the edges. This tahini chocolate banana cake is further proof of the winning tahini chocolate flavor pairing.
Recipe Ingredients
For best results, measure ingredients by weight using a kitchen scale. However, if you prefer to use volume measures (cups), use the spoon and level method to measure dry ingredients.
- All-Purpose Flour : I exclusively use King Arthur Flour all-purpose flour for consistency. Any flour brand will work. Sub in gluten-free all-purpose flour mix if desired.
- Unsalted Butter : Use softened, room temperature unsalted butter. Omit salt in the recipe if you choose to use salted butter. Vegan butter or solid coconut oil may be used for a dairy free option.
- Tahini : Primarily used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cookies. Tahini is sesame seed paste or sesame seed butter. It has a nutty, slightly bitter, very savory flavor. It is a key ingredient in hummus and baba ganoush.
- Chocolate : Use your choice of dark chocolate chunks, semi-sweet chocolate chips, or chop up your favorite chocolate bar. This recipe also works well with high quality white chocolate.
Cookie Variations
Think of tahini paste like any other nut butter. Peanut butter, almond butter, and hazelnut butter are popularly used in desserts and baked goods.
Tahini has a toasty, nutty flavor. Nowadays, tahini is easily available. Many grocery stores and supermarket even make a store brand.
Soom Foods is my favorite tahini brand. They make a variety of flavors include dark chocolate tahini. Easily swap in tahini in place of peanut butter in your favorite cookie recipes such as peanut butter thumbprints or peanut butter crinkle cookies.
Chill Cookie Dough
This tahini chocolate chunk cookie recipe benefits greatly from chilling the dough. There are two main reasons why it’s important to take this extra step.
First, chilling the dough controls the cookies from spreading too much during bake. The rest time in the fridge helps to solidify the fats in the dough. This specific recipe has little more fat that standard chocolate chip cookies because of the addition of sesame seed paste.
Second, allowing the dough to rest aids in flavor development. The ingredients are given time to meld together.
How To Portion Cookie Dough
The secret to uniformed sized cookies is proper portioning! Reasons to portion out dough: 1) all the cookies bake at the same rate and 2) all the cookies are the same size.
These tahini cookies are “drop cookies.” This means the dough does not need to be shaped before baking. Simply scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and bake.
The recipe uses a size #24 scoop (1.75 oz or 3 tablespoon).
BAKING 101: Scoop Sizes
- The number size of a scooper is equal to how many scoops it would take to fill a quart container.
- For example, size 1 scoop takes one scoop to fill a quart. A size 20 scoop would take twenty scoops to fill a quart.
- In other words, the large the scoop number, the smaller to scoop capacity. Or, the smaller the scoop number, the bigger the scooper size.
Cookie Storage Instructions
Cooling cookies to room temperature is vital step. Next, is having a good cookie jar or an airtight container.
Preventing too much air from seeping into the container helps to ensure the tahini cookies do not stale.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. However, they are best enjoyed within three days after baking.
More Drop Cookie Recipes
- Walnut Halva Cookies
- White Chocolate Earl Grey Cookies
- Orange Cardamom Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pecan Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, (230 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter, (113 g), room temp, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar, (100 g)
- ¾ cup brown sugar, (150 g), packed
- 2 large eggs, , room temp
- ½ cup tahini paste, (130 g)
- 2 cups dark chocolate chunks, (340 g)
- white sesame seeds,, to garnish as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Cream butter. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar. Mix until smooth. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing. Add eggs and mix until incorporated. Add tahini and mix until combined.
- Add flour mixture and mix until there are no longer any dry streaks of flour. Fold in chocolate chunks until evenly distributed.
- Cover cookie dough with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Allow to chill for an hour until dough is slightly cool to the touch.
- Use a #24 cookie scoop to portion out the dough. Place dough on a parchment lined tray at least 2-inch apart from each other. Sprinkle sesame seeds over dough. Bake for 14-18 minutes until the edges of the cookies are crisp and the middle is still a bit soft. Allow to cool in pan until cookies are firm enough to move to a wire rack to cool .
Notes
- Use your choice of light or dark brown sugar.
- Tahini is sesame seed paste or sesame seed butter. It has a nutty, slightly bitter, very savory flavor.
- Use your choice of dark chocolate chunks, semi-sweet chocolate chips, or chop up your favorite chocolate bar. This recipe also works well with high quality white chocolate.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Hi, Maryanne!
I guess you needed a lot of mental strength to give the cookies to Alex! :-)
Thanks for the recipe!
Starting to bake more and made these lovely cookies and they were amazing. The recipe was easy to follow and the cookies tasted delicious, everyone I gave them to loved them. I will definitely make these a staple in my baking repatroir and will definitely be looking at more recipes on your website.
P.s I would like to say, being from England, i’m always curious why US uses “cup” measuring systems over just a standard measuring system across all things. something for me to research haha
Thank you for this delicious recipe – I made a half batch, omitting the cinnamon (although I’m sure it’s good, too). These are some of the best cookies I’ve ever made, and I have made a ton of cookies. The tahini is fairly subtle – you almost smell it more than taste it but it makes the cookies so, so good.
p.s. my husband asked me to send you his love! That’s how delicious these cookies are.
Hi Karen! You are very welcome! Thanks for commenting. I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed the cookies. It means a lot :)
I still haven’t used tahini in sweet baking but you have so convinced me that I need to give it a go asap! Sounds amazing in these chocolate chip cookies, and your photos are gorgeous too <3
Tahini is a little bitter on it’s own but it does wonders in sweets! Thanks so much! :)
I gotta try these. Chocolate chunk cookies are the best. Thanks for sharing
Agree! Thanks!
OMG, these look so good! I love tahini, and tahini and chocolate is such a great pairing.
Thanks so much Kara! :)
I’ve heard a lot about tahini but still haven’t tried it myself but just wanted to say these cookies look amazing.
P.S. Your photography and blog continue to inspire me :)
Aw, thanks so much! You’re too sweet!