Salted Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies (Chewy & Decadent!)
These Salted Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies will totally blow you away! They’re soft, chewy and have a nutty, subtle tahini flavour that’s impossible to resist.
Classic Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies are good, but add some tahini and flaky sea salt to the mix and whoa. These Salted Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies will knock your socks off. Consider them the high-end, adultier (that’s not a word, but you know what I mean) version of the chocolate chip cookie, with nutty and salty flavours to balance the sweet.
Why I Adore These Upgraded Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies prove you definitely can make a good thing even better. Here’s what makes this recipe so divine!
- Gluten-free—or not. You have options! As written, this recipe is gluten-free, but you can use regular all-purpose flour if you’d like. And, of course, they’re vegan too.
- Soft, chewy, and chocolatey. While I love developing all my recipes, baking has my heart. I used to run my own bakery before I was a food blogger! So you can be confident knowing that the texture of the dough is ON POINT and the flavour is rich and decadent. Everything you want in a chocolate chip cookie and more!
- Nuanced flavour. Let’s talk about the “and more.” A classic chocolate chip cookie is simple, but these salted chocolate chip tahini cookies have layers of flavour, with the tahini lending them an earthy nuttiness that adds a lovely complexity.
Notes on Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these salted chocolate chip tahini cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Gluten-free flour – Or swap in the same amount of regular all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Cinnamon – For a little cozy warmth in the dough.
- Sea salt – You’ll need some for the dough and some flaky salt for sprinkling onto the cookies after they bake.
- Brown sugar – You can use either light or dark brown.
- Tahini
- Flax egg – Here’s how to make a flax egg.
- Vanilla extract
- Coconut oil
- Vegan dark chocolate – I like chopping up a good dark chocolate bar for this recipe, but chocolate chunks or chips also work.
A Note About Tahini
Tahini (also known as tahina) is sesame seed paste, or kind of like a sesame seed butter. If you’re like me, maybe you’ve tasted tahini straight out of the jar and you weren’t impressed. Bitter. Grainy. Not good. I couldn’t understand why this was supposed to make my hummus better!
But then I traveled to the Middle East and realized that tahini should be nutty, buttery, and 100% smooth. Imagine my shock and surprise when I tasted real tahini for the first time. I say all of this because the right tahini is what will make the difference in your cookies. Get one that’s very runny, smooth, and has a nutty flavour.
How to Make Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here’s a quick look at how to make these vegan cookies. Don’t forget to scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and sea salt. Set aside.
- Whip the wet ingredients. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the brown sugar, tahini, flax egg, vanilla extract, and melted coconut oil. Mix for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Combine wet and dry. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two batches, mixing until just combined. Scrape down the sides to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Fold in the chocolate. Gently stir in the chocolate chunks with a spatula.
- Chill the dough. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap or place in a sealed container. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment or silpat mats.
- Form the cookies. Scoop 1-tablespoon portions of dough and roll into balls about 2 inches wide. Place on baking sheets with about an inch of space between each cookie.
- Bake. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. The cookies may look slightly underbaked but will continue to set as they cool.
- Finish cooling. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while still warm, if using.
Tips for The Best Tahini Cookies
- Use good chocolate. Chocolate chunks and chocolate chips are great, but I highly recommend using a high percentage dark chocolate bar. Not only does the dark chocolate pair beautifully with the salt and the tahini, you’ll get fabulous pools of chocolate in your cookies.
- Don’t skip the chilling. Those two hours in the fridge help develop the flavour and keep the cookies from spreading on the pan. If you have time, overnight or even 24 hours of chilling is even better.
- Under-bake them a bit. The cookies continue to “bake” while they cool. Under-baking them yields a soft, chewy, and all-around divine cookie.
- Enjoy them warm. These cookies are best warm out of the oven, cooled just for 10 minutes, but of course, they are still delicious after that.
How to Store
- Room temperature: Let the cookies cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezing the cookies: Transfer the cooled chocolate chip tahini cookies to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature or warm them in the microwave for that fresh-from-the-oven experience.
- Freezing the dough: Roll the dough into balls, then place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Freeze until the dough is solid, then place the balls of dough in an airtight container or freezer bag. The dough will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months and you can enjoy as many or as few freshly baked cookies as you like! Follow the recipe for baking, but add a few extra minutes to the baking time to account for the dough being frozen.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
Enjoy friends! If you make this salted chocolate chip tahini cookie recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Salted Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, 148g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder, 4.8g
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda, 1.2g
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1.3g
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt, 1.5g
- ½ cup organic brown sugar, 96g
- ¼ cup tahini/tahina, 56g
- 1 flax egg*
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2.4g
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, 27g
- coarse or flaky sea salt, for sprinkling on top
- ½ cup chopped vegan dark chocolate, or chocolate chunks/chips
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, baking powder and baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt. Whisk together thoroughly. Set aside.
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer, add the brown sugar, tahini, flax egg, vanilla extract and the coconut oil. A mixer (stand or by hand) really helps to whip the ingredients, especially the tahini, for that soft and chewy texture. Turn the mixer on and thoroughly incorporated, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides, until it’s nice and fluffy.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two batches, and mix with mixer until incorporated. Scrape down the sides to gather all the dough and gently fold in. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
- Form dough into a large ball and cover with Saran wrap or a reusable wrap, or even place in a large reusable zipped bag. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to chill thoroughly.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/175 C. Line two baking sheets with silpat mats or parchment paper. Remove Saran Wrap and scoop 1 tablespoon out of the dough for each cookie. Roll slightly between fingers to form a ball that’s about 2 inches in diameter. Add a dough ball, pressing down all around, and leave about an inch of space between each cookie.
- Bake for 10 minutes then remove cookie sheets from the oven and onto the counter. Sprinkle with the flaky sea salt. It may look slightly underbaked, but will cook as it cools. Remove from the sheets after 10 minutes of cooling, then to a wire rack to finish cooling. I started to eat mine now – they taste so divine when a little warm! Enjoy!
Notes
- Room temperature: Let the cookies cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezing the cookies: Transfer the cooled chocolate chip tahini cookies to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature or warm them in the microwave for that fresh-from-the-oven experience.
- Freezing the dough: Roll the dough into balls, then place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Freeze until the dough is solid, then place the balls of dough in an airtight container or freezer bag. The dough will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months and you can enjoy as many or as few freshly baked cookies as you like! Follow the recipe for baking, but add a few extra minutes to the baking time to account for the dough being frozen.
- *Flax egg recipe: 1 tablespoon flax seeds + 3 tablespoons of water, mixed and refrigerated for 15 minutes
- Prep time doesn’t include the 2 hours chill time.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
These sounds great, and I’d like to make them without the oil. Do you have a suggestion to substitute? Thanks!
Hi Helen,
You could substitute some applesauce or a bit more tahini! That will do the trick. Keep the amounts the same when swapping. Happy cookie-baking!