Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies With Butter

Years ago I made the Food52 Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies without Butter. I wanted to love them, especially since they were a community pick and the Food52 staff were "obsessed with them". At the time it was fun to try cookies made with tahini and without butter, but at the end of the day I think I'd rather like my cookies with both! So here's a new recipe for tahini cookies with butter and chocolate chips.

Texturally, the tahini helps keep these soft and chewy. As for flavor, using only ¼ cup of well stirred tahini gives you just a hint of sesame flavor, which is all you really need for chocolate chip cookies.

Good Tahini

And maybe it goes without saying, but use good tahini. That's easy because we have so many great brands! My old favorite, Soom, is now available at Whole Food and other stores. And of course you can also order it on Amazon. They even have a chocolate flavored version.

So here's the new and improved version adapted from the back of the Whole Foods 365 chocolate baking chips bag! Whole Foods calls theirs Sesame Chocolate Chip Cookies and adds 2 tablespoons of sesame. I like the sesame seeds, but prefer them on the outside, so I just sprinkle them over the tops of the cookies.

Ingredient Notes -- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

The ingredients for these cookies are pantry staples, but one thing you may want to pick up if you don't already have it is whole wheat pastry flour. I really like the 365 brand. Because it has a lower protein content than regular whole wheat flour, pastry flour keeps tahini chocolate chip cookies tender. On the flip side, thanks to the bran and germ, it still adds structure by absorbing more moisture and helping the dough hold its shape. It also brings a bit more depth than all-purpose flour, giving the cookies a slightly more complex, bakery-style texture. And lastly, you get a little wheat flavor that goes well with the sesame.

Recipe

Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Anna

An easy recipe for chocolate chip cookies enhanced with a small amount of tahini. The sesame seeds are optional, but add a nice touch.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Chill Time -- Optional 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 22 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients

 

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (114 grams)
• ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
• ½ cup brown sugar (100 grams)
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup tahini, stir it really well (60 grams)
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

 

• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugars and tahini with an electric mixer until light and creamy.
• Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
• Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt, then add to the egg mixture to make a soft dough.
• Stir in the chocolate chips. At this point you can stir in some sesame seeds, or just leave them out and use them as a light garnish.
• Portion the cookies into 24 balls with a medium size cookie scoop and chill the portioned balls for about an hour or until ready to bake.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Sprinkle the sesame seeds on the cookie dough balls. Arrange the cookies on the baking sheets and bake one sheet at a time at 325 for until cookies are golden brown around the edges. The centers should be a little pale. The times may vary from oven to oven. For medium size cookies like these using cold dough, they should be done in 10 minutes. If you are using unchilled dough, check at at 9 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, sprinkle cookies with a bit of flaky sea salt (if desired), and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.

Keyword Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

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