Healthy-ish tahini chocolate chip cookies can be yours in under an hour. This easy tahini cookie recipe takes moments to stir together and turns out cookies with crisp edges and soft, chewy middles, no chilling required. You won't believe they're paleo, gluten-free, and vegan to boot. Thanks to Raaka Chocolate for sponsoring this post!
It is a well-known tenet of Bojon that "the freshly-baked chocolate chip cookie in your mouth is the best chocolate chip cookie ever." Crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle, with puddles of melted chocolate and notes of vanilla and butterscotch – even when chocolate chip cookies are bad, they're still pretty good.
BUT THESE. These may be my favorite chocolate chip cookies I've ever made, and that's saying a lot. Over the years, I've made chocolate chip cookies with buckwheat flour, with chestnut flour (in my cookbook), with teff flour and with rye flour and whiskey. I've flavored them with brown butter, with peanut butter, with almond butter, with three kinds of chocolate, with ginger spice and molasses, and with oats and cacao nibs. I've made gluten-free double chocolate cookies with coffee, cinnamon, and peppermint variations.
In 2015 I developed some vegan gluten-free tahini oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for GFF magazine which I shared here on TBG earlier this year. They became an instant quarantine favorite!
But sadly, I couldn't partake in oatmeal cookies once I started a grain-free elimination diet shortly after lockdown. So this is my grain-free variation, and they are every bit as satisfying if not more so.
Tahini Cookies FTW
These salted tahini chocolate chip cookies come together in minutes, spread just the right amount in the oven, and develop the most addictively crispy edges and plush middles. They burst with the flavors of sesame tahini, vanilla, and dark chocolate, all kissed with crunchy flakes of sea salt. The formula doesn't seem like it should work, but it does, beautifully, every time, as though by magic.
These tahini cookies also happen to be the most allergy friendly cookies to appear on this site. They're all the "frees": gluten-free, grain-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and even refined sugar-free, thanks to maple-sweetened chocolate. I based the recipe on my vegan paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe, which uses cashew butter as the base. The recipe just needed a few small tweaks, but I tested this variation 8 times to get it just right. Needless to say, we've eaten A LOT of cookies this past month. Not complaining.
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Tahini Ingredients & Substitution Suggestions
- This recipe uses half a pound of chocolate, so you want to use the best. I made these with Raaka Maple Dark Baking Chocolate (more on this below!) but any dark chocolate that you like the taste of will work.
- Tahini creates a rich sesame base. Choose one that is runny for the best results, and be sure to stir the jar very well before measuring. I use Soom organic tahini, which is silky-smooth, runny, and has minimal bitterness - highly recommended.
- Maple syrup sweetens and moistens the dough. I like darker maple syrup here for added earthy flavor.
- Coconut oil stands in for butter here. You can use extra-virgin, which is less processed with more coconut flavor, or refined for a neutral flavor. Dairy-eaters can use ghee instead for a non-vegan option.
- Vanilla and salt add flavor.
- Baking soda helps the cookies puff, spread, and brown.
- For the flours, I got the best texture using a combination of cassava, tiger nut, and tapioca flours. Cassava and tapioca flour both come from yucca root, while tiger nut also comes from a tuber. This creates a grain-free, paleo-friendly base that tastes close to classic. If you don't have tiger nut flour on hand, try using more cassava for all-cassava flour cookies. You can also try omitting all three of these flours and swapping in a good gluten-free or paleo flour blend. Or try all-purpose wheat flour if gluten isn't an issue. Or make this version with oat flour and oats.
Maple-Sweetened Chocolate for Maple Syrup Chocolate Chip Cookies
As a longtime fan of Raaka's unroasted chocolate bars, I was THRILLED when I learned about Raaka Maple Dark Baking Chocolate. These petite chocolate discs are packed with their same unique flavor, in baking form. This super-special chocolate is made from unroasted cacao sweetened with precious maple sugar for chocolate you'll want to save for special occasions.
Raaka chocolate is:
- Bean to bar: made from scratch in small batches
- Transparent trade: sourced from farmer-owned co-ops purchased for greater than fair-trade prices
- Single origin: with complex flavor profiles from each region's individual growing conditions
- Unroasted: to preserve the naturally fruity, bright, floral notes of the cacao bean (think high-end coffee made with fresh, lightly roasted beans)
- Organic: and also vegan!
When I'm not pouring Raaka baking chocolate into this tahini cookies recipe, we nom them straight from the bag. Other varieties they have are Oat Milk Baking Chocolate, with creamy notes of cinnamon-kissed oatmeal cookies, and Classic Dark Baking Chocolate, sourced from a farm within a bird sanctuary (!) in the Dominican Republic.
All of these varieties would be divine in this tahini cookie recipe. Shop for Raaka's baking chocolates, cacao powder and cacao nibs here. Pick up one of each and treat yourself to a chocolate tasting!
How to Make Chocolate Tahini Cookies: step-by-step instructions
How to Store Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
These chocolate tahini cookies are at their peak within a few hours of being baked. Stored airtight at room temperature, their edges soften and the cookies stay moist and chewy for up to several days.
Can I freeze chocolate chip cookies?
You can! Either freeze the dough balls as directed below, or freeze the baked cookies. I recommend warming frozen baked cookies in a toaster oven until heated through to refresh them. Refreshed cookies are great with a scoop of ice cream for an impromptu dessert.
Make-Ahead Tahini Cookies
To make these easy tahini cookies ahead of time, mix the dough as directed and chill the bowl until the dough has firmed up, 30 - 60 minutes. Scoop the cookies into balls and place in a wide, flat storage container covered airtight. Refrigerate until needed, up to 1 week, or freeze for up to a month or two. When you're ready for cookies, bake as directed. You can bake the cookies cold, or let the dough balls warm up to room temperature first – it doesn't make much of a difference.
Baking with Tahini
If you love halva or sesame-flavored desserts, you'll be a huge fan of these sesame tahini cookies. Despite the generous amount of tahini in the dough, they taste surprisingly close to classic CCCs, just wildly flavorful. I've linked to some other favorite tahini desserts below!
Do you have to refrigerate tahini?
You do not have to refrigerate tahini, but you can if you want to. If you live in a warm climate and don't go through it very fast, pop it in the fridge. Just be sure to warm it to room temperature before mixing up a batch of these tahini cookies.
Easy Tahini Cookies for Everyone
These allergy-friendly cookies will fool any cookie connoisseur, yet they'll please a variety of dietary restrictions. Bake up a few extras to share with neighbors or family members in need of gluten-free and/or dairy-free holiday treats.
Please let me know if you try this recipe by leaving a comment and star rating below!
More Tahini Dessert Recipes:
- Tahini Zucchini Bread (paleo & vegan)
- Vegan Chocolate Tart with Tahini + Caramel
- Tahini Chocolate Sauce
- Gluten-Free Brownies with Tahini Frosting
- GF Tahini Snacking Cake from Snixy Kitchen
More Vegan Paleo Dessert Recipes:
More Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes:
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookies
- Vegan Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Tahini and Maple
- Thick and Chewy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Gluten-Free Almond Butter Cookies with Buckwheat and Oats
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this salted tahini chocolate chip cookie recipe, I’d love to see. Tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Magical Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup (245 g) room temperature, well-stirred tahini (preferably a runny tahini such as Soom or Kevala)
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (260 g) maple syrup (preferably dark)
- ⅓ cup (70 g) melted, cooled coconut oil (or ghee if not vegan)
- 2 teaspoons GF vanilla extract
- ½ cup (75 g) cassava flour (I use Bob's Red Mill; or try sweet rice or AP flour if not paleo)
- ½ cup (60 g) tiger nut flour (I use Anthony's; or try almond flour, more cassava flour, or oat, buckwheat, or teff flour if not paleo)
- ¼ cup (28 g) tapioca flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 ounces (230 g) coarsely chopped vegan bittersweet chocolate such as Raaka Maple Dark Baking Chocolate, plus extra for the tops
- flaky salt such as Maldon, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Position a rack in the top of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Line 2 rimless cookie sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla until smooth and emulsified.
- Place a strainer over the bowl and sift in the cassava, tiger nut, and tapioca flours with the baking soda and sea salt. Stir to combine, then stir in the chocolate chunks.
- Scoop 1-inch diameter balls of dough (3-4 tablespoons or a rounded #24 spring-loaded ice cream scoop) onto the prepared cookie sheet, spaced 3 inches apart. Top each cookie with a chunk or two of chocolate and a pinch of flaky salt.
- Bake the cookies one pan at a time in the top rack of the oven until golden and puffed, with the edges beginning to set and the centers soft, 12-16 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet at 10 minutes for even baking.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and slide them, parchment and all, onto a cooling rack. Let them cool as long as you can stand it. Enjoy warm from the oven, at room temperature, or let cool completely and store, covered at room temperature, for up to 3 days.
Notes
- measure by weight, not volume
- if measuring by volume, use the dip and sweep (aka scoop and swoop) method
- make sure your oven is the correct temperature by using an external oven thermometer
- bake off a single test cookie to make sure your cookies spread the right amount
- if your cookies spread too much, add more flour or increase the oven temperature
- if they don't spread enough, flatten the dough balls or decrease the oven temperature
Andrea says
I *despise* maple syrup. Can you recommend a good substitute?
Alanna says
Well that's a first! What don't you like about it? I suppose you could try thinning a different liquid sweetener with hot water until it's the consistency of maple syrup, which is thinner than most (honey, coconut syrup, date syrup, brown rice syrup, etc.) Please let me know what you try.
Liz says
Great flavor--these taste gluten free and vegan, but in a really good way. The texture of mine is very crumbly and I'm wondering if that's just the texture or if it's because I used arrowroot in place of tapioca flour? Otherwise I followed the recipe.
I enjoy your recipes a lot and was actually hoping for a while that you'd go in more of a paleo direction because I knew you'd do it really well, so thank you!
Alanna says
Aw that really means a lot to me! I was nervous about sharing paleo recipes so I really appreciate the feedback.
I'm sorry these turned out crumbly for you! What brand of tahini did you use and what was the consistency of it? I'm wondering if that could be the culprit. But I'll test these with arrowroot next time I make them to see if it makes a difference for me.
BakernBerner says
Amazing texture (crumbly/crunchy edge and soft middle) exactly like traditional CCC cookies. Flavor is less sweet, but still wonderful; maybe more of an adult CCC. Made them as written using a local brand of drippy tahini and 80pct dark chocolate bar.
Alanna says
I'm *SO* glad you love these! Thanks a bunch for trying out the recipe and for the sweet note.
liz says
Thank you! I used soom. But I suspect I'll try them again soon so will see how it goes. And yes, it's so nice to have a source of paleo recipes that feels expansive inclusive without the health/body focus that often comes along!
Alanna says
Soom is perfect! Did you use cassava and tiger nut flours, or did you try one of the substitution suggestions?
I just retested these because they turned out crumbly for another reader too. I re-weighed everything to make sure I didn't make any conversion errors. Everything was accurate, and they turned out just the same as in the photos.
Please let me know if you give them another try! I'm very curious as to why they're turning out crumbly for some folks..
Kristina says
These did not turn out well for me. The balls never flattened out and the texture was like sand...
Alanna says
Well that's no good! I'm really sorry that happened - what a disappointment and with all those special ingredients. I tested these very rigorously, but I'm going to retest right now and make sure I didn't make any typos. Would you mind telling me which flours and brands you used? Did you use coconut oil or ghee? Thanks for helping me sleuth!
Alanna says
Ok, I just retested these. I re-weighed everything to make sure I didn't make any conversion errors. Everything was accurate, and they turned out just the same as in the photos for me.
Please let me know which ingredients you used when you get a moment!
Jenny Zhou says
Another great recipe, Alanna! I made these cookies yesterday, and weight the ingredients per your notes. The only thing I changed is using a little less of the Raaka Maple Sugar baking chocolate, 200g (instead of 230g) to conserve our Raaka supply. The cookies turnout great and very yummy. Thank you and happy holidays to you, Jay, and the kitties!
Alanna says
I'm so glad you and Louis enjoyed these Jenny! Raaka chocolate is definitely worth conserving. Happy holidays to you two as well!
Caroline says
Made for Christmas and huge hit! Did all purpose flour and a bit of almond flour. Put the dough balls in the fridge for about an hour before baking. DELICIOUS. I would use a tiny bit less of vanilla next time - a little overpowering for me. Also delicious frozen a day after!
Alanna says
I'm so glad they were a hit! You can absolutely dial down the vanilla or leave it off altogether next time.
Tiffany says
First off let me say thank you so much for all of the recent paleo recipes. You are my go to for “healthy” baked goods, but I have often swapped out the sugar for something unprocessed and prefer using almond flour when possible. I hope you keep them coming. As far as these cookies go, I have to say wow! I subbed the tahini with pistachio butter and added some tart cherries, but everything else was as written and they were phenomenal!! I had zero problems with crumbly dough. Also, I shared them with two gluten- free friends and they both said they were some of the best gluten-free cookies they had ever had. Very grateful for you and your consistently delicious recipes.
Alanna says
Awwww I appreciate this so much! I've shied away from using natural sweeteners since I wanted to make my recipes accessible but I had to cut out sugar this year for health reasons, so it's been fun to work with maple syrup and maple sugar. They're my favorites anyway!
The variation with pistachio butter and tart cherries sound AMAZING! I can imagine how lovely the pistachio flavor would taste against earthy chocolate and tangy cherries. Yum!! I'm so glad they were a hit.
Melissa says
Perfect combination of a crisp and chewy cookie! Delicious and subtly unique flavor! Will of course be making these again and will be my go-to chocolate chip cookie!
Alanna says
Woohoo! I'm so glad you love them. Thanks a bunch for the sweet note!
Heidi Fischbach says
These cookies are SO good! I made them as directed except for subbing Teff flour for Tiger Nut flour (which I didn't have). I used 60g of Teff, BTW. I think the cookies spread out a little bit more than the pictures of yours, Alanna, but they were beyond delicious. Also, I used the WF 365 brand of organic tahini and that worked just fine too.
Alanna says
That is fantastic! I love teff with tahini and chocolate and I'm so glad it worked here. You could probably just add a little more flour next time if you want them a bit thicker. It's great to know that that brand of tahini works too. Thanks so much for experimenting and for sharing your notes with us!