Did you know you can substitute tahini for butter and make delicious chocolate chip cookies? I promise you these are the best tahini chocolate chip cookies you’ll have! These crumbly, thick chocolate chip cookies are plant based and so easy to whip up for your next party. Of course they are the best fresh out of the oven!
Why use Tahini?
Tahini is a creamy sesame paste used in middle eastern cuisine. I’ve only ever used it to make hummus and savory salad dressings, but finding out you can bake it into cookies just opened up a whole world of possibilities! Its consistency resembles peanut butter, and gives cookies a nutty flavor. You can actually use it as a 1:1 substitute for butter. My favorite brand of tahini is Sprout’s organic unsalted. There are some brands that are too crumbly, with oil on the top. That is not a good tahini!
What about the chocolate?
I love using Lily’s Sweet chocolate bars. They are sugar free, but don’t taste you know… like the sugar free chocolate you may be used to. They are seriously good for chocolate chip cookies. The blood orange flavor is my favorite to chop finely with a knife into chunks and stir it into the mixture last. You can also use 1-1.5 cups of your favorite chocolate chips. There’s no rules here.
The sweetener..
Since going to raw vegan school at Matthew Kenney’s Plant Lab, I quickly discovered you can use maple syrup and cashews to make literally any dessert. It’s endless, I tell you. Maple syrup is a staple in the Barnes house and I use it to bake with all the time! Again, choosing a nicer brand of maple syrup always results in better tasting desserts. So don’t buy a cheap pancake syrup brand or an agave- maple blend. Pure maple syrup is best!
A Quick Note on Flour...
I wish they would sponsor me (haha) because I never stop raving about them, but I love Bob’s Redmill unbleached all-purpose flour. Flour is super important in choosing for the texture of your cookie. All purpose flour creates a soft inside and a lovely crumbly texture. I definitely recommend sifting it before using it to ensure no lumps when you take a bite.
So What Makes the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie?
Betty Crocker has some great tips from the 1961 Picture Cookbook!
- Use a baking sheet or pans 2 inches narrower and shorter than the oven so the heat circulates well around it.
- If pan has sides, and you don’t have a proper baking sheet, flip pan, and use the bottom, to ensure even browning.
- Bake in the center of the oven if one each is used. If you have two racks, divide oven in thirds with racks.
- Store crispy and thin cookies in a container with a loose cover. Store soft cookies in a container with a tight fitting cover.
And some of my favorite tips for the best cookie!
- If you want chewier cookies, always take out one to two minutes before the designated bake time.
- If you want chewy frozen cookies, take out of the oven and immediately put them in the freezer! I just have a thing for frozen cookies.
- Check out my post on the best cookie baking tips from vintage cookbooks!
The Best Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
These crumbly, chewy, tahini chocolate chip cookies are so delicious! Made with creamy tahini and maple syrup, they are a perfect plant based treat! Pair one with a tall glass of oat milk!
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time12 min
- Total Time22 min
- Yield12
- Serving Sizeas many as you'd like
For the burger
- 1 cup tahini
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 bar Lily’s blood orange dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup water
Preparing the spices
Cream the tahini and maple syrup with electric hand mixer. Add the vanilla.
Sift flour and dry ingredients into a separate bowl
Thinly shave the chocolate into chunky shards as desired. I like to use my chef’s knife to chop it finely
Combine the tahini mixture with the dry and stir well. Add in the shaved chocolate. Add water as necessary, if too dry, so you can form into a ball of dough
Drop cookies with a spoon onto a greased baking sheet
Bake 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Let the cookies cool for ten minutes on a baking rack before eating! Enjoy!
