Vegan & Paleo tahini chocolate chip cookies can be yours in 30 minutes with 10 ingredients with this well-tested, top-rated recipe. These cookies are made with cassava and almond flours, coconut oil, and maple syrup. But with their crisp edges and soft, chewy middles, you won't believe they're paleo and vegan.
The dough is quick to stir together with one bowl and a spoon and the cookies bake up with crispy edges, chewy middles, and rumpled tops. 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. Because I've made a lot of delicious cookie recipes over the years, including some favorites in my cookbook, Alternative Baker.
In 2015 I developed some gluten-free tahini oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for GFF magazine which I recently shared here on TBG. They became an instant reader-favorite!
This is my grain-free / paleo tahini cookie variation, and they are every bit as satisfying if not more so. Here's what one reader had to say about them:
10/10 Bliss
“I made these and they're just bliss. I am obsessed, my boyfriend is obsessed, I am so happy. The tahini has kind of a peanut-y flavor, which I badly miss in cookies since AIP, I now use flax and sesame, but can't go back to peanuts. I sprinkled some sesame seeds on top just so they were sexy for pictures, but like I mean COME ON NOW, if you're bored and looking to bake something to scratch a baking itch. THIS IS IT. 10/10”
—Lacy
Magical Tahini Cookies
These paleo tahini chocolate chip cookies come together in minutes, spread just the right amount in the oven, and develop the most addictively crispy edges and soft 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": grain-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and even refined sugar-free. I've included this recipe in my collection of decadent paleo dessert recipes as well!
I based the recipe on my vegan paleo chocolate chip cookies, which use 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.
Ingredients & Substitution Suggestions
These magical cookies come together with 10 ingredients. Be sure to see the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredients and instructions.
Paleo Flours
A trio of grain-free flours builds the perfect chewy texture. You can read more about them in my gluten-free & grain-free flour guide.
- Cassava flour: tastes like all-purpose flour with a mild flavor and some sticky texture that helps the cookies hold together and bake up thick.
- Sub by weight paleo all-purpose flour, or sweet rice flour / GF AP flour for non-paleo.
- Almond flour (or tiger nut flour, shown here): adds some depth of flavor, helps the cookies brown, makes the edges crispy.
- Sub by weight other nut or seed flours, or more cassava flour. Or try buckwheat or teff for a different flavor (and possibly non-paleo, depending who you ask)
- Tapioca flour: makes the dough stretchy, adds extra chew.
- Sub by weight arrowroot flour.
Other Key Ingredients
- 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.
Maple-Sweetened Chocolate for Baking
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!
Other good paleo baking chocolates to try are:
- Rad chocolate
- Hu (gems or bar)
- Guittard (some coconut sugar options)
How to Make Chocolate Tahini Cookies: step-by-step instructions
These cookies are SO simple to make with just one bowl and a whisk. They come together in 30 minutes, making about 18 cookies.
Storage
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.
Easy Tahini Cookies for Everyone
These 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 Paleo treats.
Please let me know if you try this recipe by leaving a comment and star rating below!
Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Pinterest, purchase my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.
Magical Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies (Paleo & Vegan)
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Wet ingredients
- 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
Dry ingredients
- 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) blanched almond flour (or use tiger nut, 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.
Make the dough
- 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.
Shape
- 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
- 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!
Alisha DiMasi says
These were absolute perfection. That's really all there is to say about them in cookie form! I'd like to try it in a cookie cake for my little man's birthday -- any tips for my endeavor?
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Alisha,
I'm so glad these cookies were a hit! Love the idea of making the dough into a cookie cake. Yum!
Looking at some cookie cake recipes online, I would try spreading the dough into a 9-inch round pan, greased and lined with parchment paper. Looks like you want about a scant inch of batter in the pan; if there's extra, just save it to bake off some extra cookies. Bake the cake at 350º until a tester comes out with moist crumbs, probably about 30 minutes (but start testing sooner!)
When it's cool, you can top it with my vegan chocolate ganache (cooled or chilled until you can pipe it around the edges). Sprinkle the ganache with a few pinches of sesame seeds instead of sprinkles?!
Please let me know if you try it. I want to make that now too!
-A
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!
Lacy Kelly says
I made these and they're just bliss. I am obsessed, my boyfriend is obsessed, I am so happy. The tahini has kind of a peanut-y flavor, which I badly miss in cookies since AIP, I now use flax and sesame, but can't go back to peanuts. I sprinkled some sesame seeds on top just so they were sexy for pictures, but like I mean COME ON NOW, if you're bored and looking to bake something to scratch a baking itch. THIS IS IT. 10/10
Alanna says
Awwww I'm so glad you loved the cookies! Hehe I wanna see the sexy pictures! Did you share them on IG or Facebook??
Lacy says
posting them today, put a linktree to your website @thelacykelly I'll tag you too!!!
jessica says
My "dough" ended up being a batter and the cookies spread until they were totally flat and crunchy. I should've known better and added more dry ingredients before baking. I did weigh everything, triple-checked the recipe. I used sifted oat flour in place of tiger nut flour. I suppose it could've been the tahini consistency. Also I felt the 260g of maple syrup was a bit absurd - not to mention expensive. Have you tried replacing it with coconut sugar at all? Sounds like from the comments maple sugar might be another - very expensive - way to go.
Alanna says
Ack, that's no good! I'm really sorry that happened. I always recommend baking off a tester cookie first in case you need to adjust the dough since cookies are so sensitive to slight variations in ingredients. I wonder if the oat flour is that much less absorbent than tiger nut? I think you could definitely replace some of the maple syrup with coconut sugar. It will probably make the batter less liquidy, which might be perfect with the oat flour variation anyway! Please let me know if you give it a try.
Sara says
These were absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly (even using a scale). They turned out perfect and we enjoyed them warm from the oven. I'm so happy because I've recently had to go Paleo for health reasons but some in my family are allergic to nuts or vegans. It's been difficult to find a treat we can all enjoy. And, my husband, who can eat anything, really enjoyed these as well. Thank you for this recipe!
Alanna says
I'm so happy these were a hit and that the whole family could enjoy them! It is really challenging to find paleo, vegan, and nut-free baked goods. I had to go paleo, vegan, and almond free last year, so I really, really know!
In case it's helpful, here are a few more recipes from my site that fit those requirements:
chocolate banana bread (nut-free variation in the notes)
zucchini bread
cassava flour crackersvegan paleo chocolate pudding
Let me know if you try any or have any questions!
Ellen Cantor says
Are you using raw or toasted tahini?
Alanna says
Great question! I used roasted tahini here from Soom.
MICELI PATRIZIA says
Hello, I made your cookies but I put less maple syrup as it is too expensive and I added 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar, and I replaced cassava flour with chestnut flour but the consistency was crumbly, I had to repair by adding an egg to form the mass, in any case, they are delicious, what do you suggest to halve the maple syrup that is so expensive?
Thank you
Alanna says
I would try subbing a different liquid sweetener, preferably one that's runny. Agave is close in texture to maple, but it's not great health-wise since it's high in fructose. You could try simple syrup if you don't mind refined sugar, or you could dissolve the coconut sugar in some hot water to make it liquid. I think honey will be too thick and may have too strong of a flavor. Coconut nectar and brown rice syrup are both thicker than maple but those could be options.
Alternatively you could try adding some liquid to the recipe in the form of coffee, tea, water, or plant milk.
Also, chestnut flour might be more absorbent than cassava, so you could try using a tablespoon or two less flour.
Let me know what you experiment with!
MICELI PATRIZIA says
thank you so much
Mim says
Sublime! Unami-esque flavour from the tahini was excellent and not overly sweet. Taste amazing, and were excellent eaten warm. Nice chewy-ness yet crumbly on the edges. Loved these, will definitely be baking again. I will try to get a hold of some cassava flour to try that out!
I used glutinous rice flour ( my understanding is that is this the same a sweet rice flour) as the substitute for the cassava flour, and buckwheat in place of tiger nut flour (as suggested). I also didn't have enough maple syrup in the pantry, and topped up with white sugar but still less than overall amount. Looked like a lot of chocolate, but no complaints when eating. My dough was a bit soft and coconut oily, so I put the dough balls in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking, then flattened out before baking, worked perfectly.
Thanks for an excellent recipe!
Alanna says
I'm so glad you loved the recipe and that those modifications worked out well! Good job going with your instincts and chilling the dough before baking. I want to try your sweet rice buckwheat version - I bet those flavors are so nice with the tahini and chocolate!
Very Appreciative says
I know this comment is late to the game, but I made these with half white half whole wheat flour and I think these are The best cookies I've ever had?! Thank you!!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Never too late, I read every comment! I'm so glad you loved this recipe and that it worked well with wheat flour - yay!! Thanks so much for the sweet note!
Madeline says
These cookies are amazing!! I've been obsessed with your buckwheat almond butter cookies for years and now just giving these a go. I subbed more cassava flour in place of the tigernut, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. I put the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes before baking too, as it was pretty loose. That helped and they cooked perfectly at 14 mins! These will for SURE be a new favorite, so into the texture. Thank you!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Oh I'm so glad you love both of the cookie recipes and that the cassava substitution worked – brilliant!! Thanks so much for the note! Did you use the same amount of cassava by weight or volume? Love to update the recipe with that substitution suggestion for other readers!
Luan says
I made these twice now and they came out amazing ! I love these cookies, I have replaced the tigernut flour with almond in the past however I prefer the tigernut flour.
Is there a way to reduce the tahini in the recipe ? while still baking a delicious cookie like the original recipe.
Is there a way to reduce the maple syrup? or could the maple syrup be completely replaced with coconut sugar ? I am curious to what your opinion is about these two questions.
While I do have some questions about replacements etc.. I would like to note that this recipe is amazing, I followed it exactly with a scale. I also let the dough rest in the fridge overnight and flatten the dough balls before baking.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Luan,
I'm so glad you love these cookies! Thanks a bunch for the kind note and review. :)
So for the coconut sugar, what I would do is dissolve it in a little boiling water to try to get it to be the same consistency and weight as the maple syrup. Alternatively you could try using coconut nectar, which you might also need to thin with a little hot water.
I'm not sure what will happen if you use less tahini. It might be fine to take it down by a few tablespoons. Or you might need to add in some more coconut oil. Tahini has both fat and fiber, and it acts partly as a liquid ingredient here, so you could play with wiggling up the oil and tiger nut / almond flours and bringing down the tahini.
Go with your gut and make it your own! Please let me know what you experiment with!
Allison says
I made these with teff instead of tiger nut since that's what I had. The dough seemed a bit thin so I added a good tablespoon more (wish I actually weighed how much more I added) but they turned out delicious. I only baked them 11 min since they were thinner than yours. Next time I make them, I will try adding more teff (and measure it) to see if I can get them a bit thicker.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Oh that's really good to know, thank you for the note! If you make them again and weigh the teff, let me know how much you used and I'll add it to the recipe notes. :)
Amelia says
Wanted to make a double batch for a girls trip with friends who had some tricky dietary limitations. The nerd in me took over, to experiment for subbing flours in the recipe…
I measured liquids carefully by volume, dry ingredients by weight, Artisana brand tahini. I subbed mochiko brand rice flour for the cassava flour in both batches, then oat flour in one batch and teff flour in another as the sub for the tiger nut flour. The doughs looked good and test bake was perfect. I preferred the teff flour for its darker color, chew, and richer flavor. The oat flour was just a tiny bit crumbly, next time I would try 5 grams less oat flour. The oat flour batch was a bit pale and amazingly different in flavor. Still so delicious but nothing like a simple science experiment to show you how every little thing makes a difference in a batch of cookies. Both batches stood up well, even after 4 days and long travel. My girls each had different favorites but the gal who has not been able to eat most cookies was partial to the oat flour.
Thank you for your carefully tested recipes and for your encouragement to experiment!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw thank you for testing this out with different flours, A! So cool to see the difference between the two batches, and I love that different people had different favorites. I'm glad they were enjoyed and held up on the long drive! xoxo
Barbara says
Fab recipe! I used the combo of white rice+tapioca+almond+buckwheat AND then chose to mix coconut with ghee as I like the 'warmth' of the ghee in baked goods. I really appreciate all your tips/methods ensuring a fantastic cookie. Following your recommendation of baking off a cookie before committing allowed me to go back and 'stiffen' up the batter a titch.
The flavor is So.Much.Better than the original cc cookie we all know!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Brilliant! That flour combo sounds SO. GOOD. And I'm with you – love the warm flavor that ghee adds here! But nice that it's interchangeable with coconut oil for those with dairy sensitivities. I'm so glad you loved the cookies and that you were able to adjust the dough. High fives!
Aoife says
Oh my, these cookies were amazing. Completely addictive. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad you liked them! One of my favorites too :)
Trish Deerwester says
Absolutely the best! I’ve made these SO many times and are my favorite CC cookie ever. The only time they were crumbly, was when I used a firmer tahini.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad you like these tahini cookies! One of my favorite ever recipes too. That's also helpful to know about the firmer tahini producing a more crumbly cookie. Thanks so much for the note!
Antonia says
How are these best stored?
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I like to layer them in a container with parchment paper between the layers (to prevent sticking) and store them at room temperature for up to 3 days or so. You can also freeze them for longer storage.
Enjoy!
Jill says
These cookies are really yummy and easy to make. I used Once Again tahini-which isn’t super runny- and ghee. Didn’t have tiger nut flour so subbed with 30 g almond flour and 30 g teff flour. Baked for 16 min on upper rack and they turned out the way I like cookies- crispy edges with gooey soft interior. Thanks!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Jill,
I'm so glad you liked these tahini cookies! That's great to know that Once Again's tahini works in these - I love that brand! And that flour combination sounds delicious, love teff with chocolate and tahini. Thanks so much for the sweet note and review!!
-Alanna
Erin says
Jill thanks for going through this process for me, only have access to Once Again tahini. These came out effing perfect! Alanna, with rising prices of everything on the planet, could you post the ratio of hot water to coconut sugar to sub for molasses? Thanks!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, I'm so glad Once Again tahini worked well for you too! I'll update the post to reflect this.
Such a good question about the coconut sugar; this is something I've been meaning to experiment with. I'll put it on my (very long lol) to-do list. I think I'd start with one part water to 3 parts coconut sugar (so 1/3 cup water to 1 cup coconut sugar). I'd simmer the mixture, stirring, to dissolve the coconut sugar. Then I'd chill it and compare the viscosity to the maple syrup that I keep in the fridge, adding more water or sugar if needed. And finally I'd try baking these cookies with it. I would probably try a half batch in case I needed to test it several more times.
If you feel adventurous and want to give this a go yourself, please report back! I'll keep you posted when I'm able to try it myself too. :)
Debbie says
Hi Alanna! I’ve been reading your recipes for a while now, and they seem really really good. I’m thinking of giving these a try, and I’d like to find a sub for the coconut oil (or ghee). Would butter or avocado or olive oil work? Or what would you suggest? They don’t need to be dairy-free or vegan for the event I’m thinking to try them for. Thank you!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Debbie,
Thanks for checking out my site and for the kind words!
I really like the idea of olive oil in these cookies, that could be really nice with the mediterranean flavor of the tahini. The only thing is that because olive oil is liquid at room temp (as opposed to coconut oil and ghee which are solid) there's a slight chance that it could change the texture of the cookies.
The flavor of butter would be great and it would probably work, but butter is about 20% water (whereas coconut oil and ghee are nearly 100% fat) so again it could alter the texture. You *could* clarify the butter and it would essentially be ghee at that point. Or you could try using half olive oil and half butter and split the difference!
Please let me know what you try and how it goes!
-Alanna
Debbie says
Thank you so much, Alanna, and I’ll let you know how it turns out if I try these! And blessings for you and all of your beautiful recipes and support for us. :)
Debbie
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw it's totally my pleasure! Can't wait to hear how it goes. :)
Jennifer Nickerson says
The weight for 1cup Tahiti is 245g, but your weight for ¾c +2Tbsp maple syrup is 260g. I didn't notice until I had poured in WAY too much maple syrup!!! How can I recover this recipe?? 60% more of everything but maple syrup?
Please help!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Jennifer,
Actually, tahini and maple syrup are different weights. Maple syrup is heavier for the same volume since it contains water and sugar, whereas tahini is mostly fat and fiber, which is lighter compared to the same volume of maple syrup. Hopefully you went ahead with the recipe as written! These measurements are correct.
Unless I misunderstood and you accidentally poured more than 260 g of maple syrup into the batter? In which case you could do what you suggested and increase the rest of the ingredients accordingly.
Please let me know; fingers crossed it turned out alright!
-Alanna
Pauline says
I’m a big fan of baking with tahini and these are truly magical cookies. Made them dozens of times. I could probably make them from memory by now. lol. I usually use oat flour and I think I always use ghee. I’m at a complete loss for words…they are just perfection. One of these with a spot of tea and life just feels a lot better. :)
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Pauline,
Aw I'm so glad you love these tahini cookies! It sounds like you've made them even more times than I have - impressive, haha! That's great to know that these work well with oat flour; did you sub it in by weight? Now I'm craving one with my evening beverage ;)
xo,
A
Amy says
Hi! I am chilling the dough now so I doubt you’ll see this before I start baking 😅 but wanted to ask about dough consistency. I’ve been doing AIP and never baked with cassava flour before let alone handling both gf and vegan so I was trying to figure out what to look for in the dough characteristics. Your pictures make it look like it’s fairly similar to normal cookie dough but that is not what mine looked like at all. 😂 I had made a few other adaptations that I won’t get into details but used a combo of cassava, dry-milled rice flour, and tapioca and the tahini I used was verrrry runny. I ended up boosting the cassava and tapioca but was still left with a very wet looking dough - hence the question on what the dough should look like before chilling. Thanks!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Amy,
Oh gosh, sorry to hear you're having to juggle all those diets - I can empathize!
So there's a photo of the dough in step 3 that shows it just mixed. It should be soft like cookie dough and hold together and keep its shape when you roll it into balls. Sounds like it was a good call to add more flour, and maybe adding even more will help if it doesn't firm up when chilled. What kind of fat did you use here?
I would try baking off a test cookie and see if it spreads too much. If it does, add in some more flour before the dough gets too cold. Please keep me posted!
-Alanna
Amy says
I used coconut oil and scaled everything but I had a similar issue when I made an Otto’s brownie mix. I followed everything on the package and it was swimming in oil. 🫣 lol
I will let you know how it turns out! The dough smells great so I’m hopeful!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Huh that's so strange! Did you measure by weight or volume? If by volume, sometimes measuring cups are slightly off and that could produce weird results. I had that happen once with a cookie recipe of my own. I used a pretty vintage measuring cup for the photos and the cookies turned out super oily. It turned out that the markings on the measuring cup were off and I used one or two tablespoons more oil than I should have. Lesson learned the hard way! Please do keep me posted - fingers crossed they turn out beautifully :)
Ooplets says
Hi Alana: I enjoy your site and appreciate the effort you put into carefully testing each recipe and offering suggested alternatives. I'm a celiac (gluten-free) person, and I generally use a lot of eggs in my baking. But I wanted to bring cookies to a friend who is allergic to eggs. That's what brought me here.
I made these cookies using the following ingredients:
245 g runny tahini (al Kanater brand)
260 g maple syrup (medium)
70 g melted, cooled butter (no ghee in the house, and I really like butter)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
75 g sweet rice flour
60 g almond flour
28 g tapioca flour
20 g oat flour (an addition to address the too-loose batter)
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
200g chocolate chunks (I ran out... I would use the full amount next time)
Maldon salt
When chilled the batter I was able to make balls with a mini ice-cream scoop. I did a test cookie first, and that worked out, so I carried on, baking 2/3 of the batter first. With the last third of my batter I added 2 tbsp cocoa and stirred it through for a marbled look.
I baked the cookies for 12-13 mins; they were thin but crunchy-chewy. My egg and gluten eating spouse (aka official taste-tester) says "Yum"! And the egg-free friend gobbled up two before dinner!
Thanks again for all you do!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad you liked the cookies and that they were a hit with everyone! Those modifications sound delicious. I love butter too, and the marbled cocoa must taste divine. Thanks so much for the note!
Antonia Sattler says
So i've melted the coconut oil to literally be liquid? I hope thats correct. And cooled it. And me chilling the dough for 30 mins in the fridge before baking, is this fine to? Apparently its a common thing for cookies?
And storing them? In the fridge? Or pantry? And how long for?
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
That's all perfect! You can store these at room temp in the pantry for 3-5 days unless it's very warm, in which case the fridge or freezer works well where they will keep longer.
Jennifer says
Fantastiic recipe Alanna! I used the cassava flour with along flour and subbed olive oil for the ghee or coconut oil, also added raisins and sunflower seeds along with the chocolate chips for more of a trail mix cookie effect. So delish!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yum, those modifications / additions sound DELICIOUS. I'm so glad you liked the cookies!
jennifer caroff says
Thank you! Meant to say cassava and ALMOND flour :-)
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hehe I knew what you meant!
Jane says
These are absolutely delicious. I made the recipe exactly as is but couldn’t find the raaka chocolate so used Guittard baking wafers (74% cacao). Skimped a bit on the sea salts for the first batch and quickly learned not to do that for the remainder. Such a fantastic combination of flavors.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, so glad you liked these cookies and the flaky salt on top too!
Sara says
These are really great (easy to make and hard to stop eating)! I used sweet rice flour sub for cassava flour and almond flour. I actually did not know that there was a "flour" from cassava, as I don't think I've ever seen it (or noticed it) and sometimes tapioca starch is referred to as cassava flour/starch.
My test cookies spread fast and were getting a bit darker than my liking, so I increased temp to 365 and decreased cook time to 10 minutes and then they were amazing! Not as pretty as the picture, but I only had chocolate chips on hand. I did add half cup of chopped walnuts for texture. I wouldn't have added nuts if using chunks of chocolate. Overall, definitely a keeper !
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Yay, I'm so glad you liked these cookies! Thanks so much for the lovely feedback :D
Good call to increase the oven temp a bit, that's exactly what I would have suggested. If you want the cookies thicker still, you could add another 1-2 tablespoons of one of the flours to thicken the dough a bit more. Or you could chill the dough before baking the cookies. Happy baking to you!