Let me introduce you to my favorite variation on the standard chocolate chip cookie—Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies! Tahini adds a rich, buttery, and nutty flavor profile and a good dose of protein and unsaturated fat!

Big Flavor + Health Benefits

Tahini­ is the secret (and scrumptious) ingredient to my Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies. Tahini is simply sesame seed butter, which is a paste made from ground, toasted sesame seeds.  Adding tahini allows us to decrease the butter and sugar content without it tasting overly “healthy”.

Tahini is nutty, creamy and deeply savory.  Depending on the brand you purchase, it may need a good stir, similar to natural peanut butter.  The oils can separate to the top of the jar and will require a few hearty stirs to reincorporate.  In my Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies I used Soom Foods brand, which can be found online.

Tahini is super versatile, which explains why it is such a buzzy food trend lately.  It goes great in both sweet and savory dishes.  Some more delicious tahini recipes are my Lemon Tahini Dressing with Broccoli and Green Tahini Dip.

Tahini Nutrition ¹

Similar to other seeds and nuts, tahini is rich in protein, fiber and vitamin E, an important antioxidant. Tahini is also a good source of phosphorous, iron, magnesium, calcium, manganese, copper and zinc.  A welcome addition to desserts, which are typically calorie dense and nutrient poor.

Sesame seeds are also high in thiamin, a B-vitamin that helps turns carbohydrates from our diet into energy for our body.  Thiamin also plays a role in muscle contraction and conduction of nerve signals.

Sesame Seeds

It can be fun to add a sprinkle of sesame seeds on top of the cookie right before baking.  It also lets your guests know that there is something special going on with these Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies.  The sesame seeds will become brown and toasted elevating their nutty flavor.  White sesame seeds are the most common, but they come in a spectrum of colors including black, tan, gold and brown, which all have slightly different flavors.

Toasting any seed or nut before serving is a great idea! Toasting sesame seeds before adding on top of a stir fry adds a depth of flavor.  As a rule of thumb, the smaller the seed or nut the quicker it will cook—so sesame and flax seeds toast the quickest in 5-7 minutes. Toasting can be done in a pan on the stove top on medium heat or in the oven at 350 until nice and golden brown.

Why Maple Sugar? ^2,3

Maple Sugar is simply maple syrup cooked down until you are left with a granulated sugar. You may have noticed by now how much I LOVE maple sugar.  Maple sugar pairs beautifully with the nutty tahini and just about any recipes it is put in.  I use maple sugar in other baked goods like my Pumpkin Maple Muffins and Blueberry Lemon Pancakes, and also my Vegan Rice Pudding.

Maple sugar is about twice as sweet and has about half of the calories of granulated sugar.  Maple sugar has about 18 calories per tablespoon, and granulated sugar has about 48 calories.  The glycemic index of maple sugar is also lower than sugar, which means that maple sugar will raise blood sugar slower than granulated sugar.  The low glycemic index and natural origins makes it Paleo friendly!

It also is rich in vitamins and minerals­––calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, and manganese.  It also has at least 24 antioxidants! Antioxidants help protect our bodies from oxidative damage­, which is caused by environmental toxins, stress, consuming rancid oils, lack of exercise and more. 

Let’s Get Baking!

My Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies mix together like a standard cookie recipe. Tahini tends to separate, so make sure to mix before measuring it out.  I highly recommend using maple sugar and whole wheat pastry flour, but you can substitute 1:1 brown sugar and all-purpose flour.

To take my Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies to the next level, give them a sprinkle of sesame seeds before baking. Then, when you pull them out of the oven give them a dash of finishing salt, Maldon Salt  is my favorite. Enjoy!

Similar Pages

Some other favorite desserts are my Mini Eggless Cheesecakes and Buckwheat Banana Bread.  A few more tahini recipes I like are my Tahini Pasta and Tahini Yogurt Sauce.

References

1. Pathak N, Rai AK, Kumari R, Bhat KV. Value addition in sesame: A perspective on bioactive components for enhancing utility and profitability. Pharmacogn Rev. 2014;8(16):147-155. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.134249
2. Stuckel JG, Low NH. The chemical composition of 80 pure maple syrup samples produced in North America. Food Research International. 1996;29(3):373-379. doi:10.1016/0963-9969(96)00000-2
3. Nutritional Information – Vermont Maple Sugar Makers. Accessed December 2, 2019. https://vermontmaple.org/nutritional-information

Tahini chocolate chip cookies

4.50 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert, Snack

Keyword: chocolate chip, cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 cookies

Author: Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup unsalted butter melted
• 2/3 cup tahini
• 1 cup maple sugar or brown sugar
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips
• Optional: flaky sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk butter, tahini, and maple sugar together well. Add egg and vanilla and whisk till combined.
• In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix together until combined, being careful not to overmix. Add chocolate chips and mix to combine.
• Optional: place dough in refrigerator and chill for one hour.
• Scoop dough, approximately 1-2 tablespoons per cookie, onto prepared baking sheet. Place dough approximately 1 inch apart. Optional: sprinkle each with flaky sea salt.
• Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes.
• Allow to cool before eating.

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