Bake
New-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies With All Tahini & No Butter
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92 Reviews
[email protected]
November 7, 2023
Kid pleaser! Very subtle nuttiness. Next time I’ll sprinkle a teeny bit of flaky salt on them. If you want flatter cookies make sure you flatten the balls of dough.
ashleexry
September 9, 2022
I made these exactly as written and they tasted amazing, although I could do with a bit more of the sesame flavor. Regardless, will definitely be making these again someday!
kongjie
May 19, 2020
Made a vegan version using two flax-seed eggs. Used single-source Soomfoods tahini and it was great--I was concerned about too much of a nutty taste but it was only barely perceptible and a tasty addition at that. Also reduced sugar by 10 percent or so and same with the chips. Did all the steps by hand only using a fork and spoon. Required closer to 15 minutes cooking (for half-batch; I froze half the batter for another day).
LV
April 15, 2020
I found the tahini to be very overpowering. I added butterscotch chips to the second batch and I found that that improved the overall taste. Love the idea of using tahini vs butter so this recipe really got me excited!
profnina
January 1, 2020
Delicious! I used a rich-flavored tahini from a company called Ziyad, purchased at local Middle Eastern market. (Ziyad's in Illinois, purchased at Vine Ripe in San Diego.) Took an extra minute or two for these to turn golden brown, and then they were pretty hard when they cooled—more of a biscotti texture in a cookie shape. Next time I won't wait for golden brown. Also, I did all mixing by hand. Not a problem!
Nicde
December 16, 2019
I made these for Christmas cookie gift bags and ultimately decided not to included these coolies in the mix. I had the same experience As other commenters here. They were really lackluster in flavor and were an unappealing grey color than never fully browned. Wouldn’t make again.
MKC
October 20, 2019
My housemates and I made the recipe pretty much exactly as written, baked ~6 cookies right away and left the rest of the dough in the fridge for a day. The 6 cookies baked immediately were boldly sesame-flavored. The ones we baked the second day had mellowed out considerably on the tahini flavor, leaving just a nice indescribable complexity and lovely chewy texture.
I also baked the second-day batch at a lower temperature (325F) for a longer time (16 min), and pressed them gently with a greased spoon to flatten-- I preferred the shape of these. Thank you for a great recipe; I'll be making these again for sure! And will maybe try cutting the white sugar a bit like others suggested.
Flaky sea salt on top was a must.
We used Artisana Organic Raw Tahini very fastidiously stirred, and I imagine the results vary with the kind of tahini one uses. Our result was a pale cookie but with a nice, crackly matte patina.
I am also glad to hear that GF adaptations worked out well; I think my GF-DF friends will be pretty pleased with these :]
I also baked the second-day batch at a lower temperature (325F) for a longer time (16 min), and pressed them gently with a greased spoon to flatten-- I preferred the shape of these. Thank you for a great recipe; I'll be making these again for sure! And will maybe try cutting the white sugar a bit like others suggested.
Flaky sea salt on top was a must.
We used Artisana Organic Raw Tahini very fastidiously stirred, and I imagine the results vary with the kind of tahini one uses. Our result was a pale cookie but with a nice, crackly matte patina.
I am also glad to hear that GF adaptations worked out well; I think my GF-DF friends will be pretty pleased with these :]
cmcinnyc
May 29, 2019
These are the only cookies I've ever made that tasted better the next day. Last night I would have agreed with the "meh" crowd, but today? They're good! I've made soups and stews that have tasted better next day, but this is a first for a cookie. Also, I'm considering subbing part of the sugar for molasses if I make these again.
Burton
January 28, 2019
These are absolutely delicious. The sesame flavor is much milder than I was expecting, given how much tahini goes into these. It's not so much like a peanut butter cookie with chocolate chips and sesame instead of peanut flavor, as it is like a regular, classic chocolate chip cookie, with a subtle sesame undertone. Like most other chocolate chip cookie recipes, these freeze well, and seem to benefit from a day or two in the freezer before baking. Be aware that they do not spread very much, and rise quite a bit when they bake – rather than freezing them in scoop shapes, I'd suggest flattening your scoops before freezing, so that they'll defrost into a better shape for baking.
rosecedar
January 11, 2019
Could folks who were pleased with their results share the brand of tahini they used? I find that tahini varies a lot in flavor and texture and I'd like to use a brand that's yielded a good result.
Jennifer K.
January 11, 2019
The last batch I made, I used the entire 8 oz jar from Trader Joe's. The one before that, I think was from Costco. I had great results from both.
Eunice
December 16, 2018
I just made these & the came out nice and golden brown. They have an interesting texture of crispness exterior and chewy inside. I like the tahini flavor of it but can't quite decide if I love them. While my cookies be beautifully golden, they didn't have the pretty crackling tops. The only thing I did differently was I made the dough a 2 days prior kept it in the fridge. The dough keeps well, scoops well, and spreads minimally.
Mariah G.
November 4, 2018
WOW!! I think these just might be the best choc chip cookies I've ever had!! Amazing.
sarah P.
October 13, 2018
Afraid I got in a bad mood right off the bat when I opened the tahini can and had to spend 10 messy minutes (should have spent longer) trying to integrate the oil and blend the lumps of tahini paste. The resulting dough, once I'd cleaned the oil off the counter and the floor and my hands was super stiff. So stiff that I had a very hard time mixing in the chocolate chips!
Naomi G.
October 12, 2018
These are amazing! Slightly cakey but still chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. And the mild nutty tahini flavour is incredible! I'll never make chocolate chip cookies with butter again!
Linda Z.
October 10, 2018
Heavy and somewhat caked. Flavor meh...rather taste tahini in hummus. Will not make again.
Emma L.
October 10, 2018
Sorry they weren't for you, Linda! Speaking of hummus, here's a particularly tahini-forward (and particularly good!) version: https://food52.com/recipes/42695-zahav-s-hummus-tehina
Jennifer K.
October 9, 2018
So I just made these for the second time. Lowered the cane sugar to 2/3 cup, everything else the same. I swapped half the chocolate chips with peanut butter chips. I baked them for 11-12 minutes, 'cause I like mine a little on the crispy side. Oh.My.Goodness! I don't think I'm going back to butter in my chocolate chip cookies ever again!
Emma L.
October 10, 2018
Thanks, Jennifer! And thanks for reporting back on how you adapted the recipe.
Jennifer K.
October 10, 2018
By the way, Ms. Emma ... I also made your turmeric sugar cookies last week. Holy moly, woman! Those were the most amazing flavor, I just can't decide what the flavor is. My neighbor says it's "love" and will never eat any other sugar cookie ever again! Keep the amazing recipes coming!
Emma L.
October 11, 2018
Aw, thank you so much! I love developing cookie recipes...because it means eating a lot of cookies!
breakbread
October 6, 2018
These are outrageous. Salty and sweet. The tahini is an adulterated peanut butter - sophisticated and alluring. Out of curiosity, I did use 1/4 cup of almond flour in place of 1/4 c of the AP. Delicious. Also lowered the cane sugar to a 2/3C (142g) as others suggested. I could go even further down to about 240grams in total sugar (which someone did review).
I do not have grey-beige cookies. I have a theory...I spent a lot of time to be sure my tahini was fully mixed so there were no clumps of dry paste in my weight measurement. Since the oil in the tahini replaces the butter, I wonder if my cookies browned OK because I had a full ratio of oil from a solid stir of the tahini?
Baked for 12 minutes and have crisp edges and soft interior. These are just unbelievable.
I do not have grey-beige cookies. I have a theory...I spent a lot of time to be sure my tahini was fully mixed so there were no clumps of dry paste in my weight measurement. Since the oil in the tahini replaces the butter, I wonder if my cookies browned OK because I had a full ratio of oil from a solid stir of the tahini?
Baked for 12 minutes and have crisp edges and soft interior. These are just unbelievable.
Emma L.
October 7, 2018
Thanks so much, breakbread! And thanks for reporting back on your adaptations, too.
Michelle P.
September 27, 2018
I made these and had great success! I gave them to a few friends and they could only describe them as "different, but delicious". There's a hit of salt at the end that make them crazy addictive.
I do agree with some other reviewers that mine were not nearly as brown as the picture. Mine were almost beige, gray but I think that's due to the coloration of the tahini.
I do agree with some other reviewers that mine were not nearly as brown as the picture. Mine were almost beige, gray but I think that's due to the coloration of the tahini.
mckenzie
September 26, 2018
I'm not sure why my comment isn't showing up. Anyway, I'm so disappointed that these weren't a success for me. They were very "meh." I weighed each ingredient on a scale, so I'm wondering if it was the brand of tahini I used. It must be because clearly I'm in the minority! I'm determined to nail this one, so I'm going to try it again with a new jar.
Emma L.
September 30, 2018
So sorry they didn't turn out as you hoped, Mckenzie! The no-butter element does yield a different flavor; in case that's what's creating the meh-ness to you, here's another recipe that uses both butter and tahini: https://food52.com/recipes/66070-danielle-oron-s-salted-tahini-chocolate-chip-cookies
Alexandra Z.
September 26, 2018
I made a bunch of changes to turn it into a gluten free, vegan cookie with less sugar, and have to say it worked too well, to the point that I cannot stop eating them. I used gf oat flour instead of the AP flour, used 1 tablespoon psyllium husk and 1 tablespoon flax meal and increased water to 1/2 cup total, left out eggs, and cut sugar down to 240 grams, using coconut sugar instead of both, white and brown sugars. Used 10 oz (1 package) Enjoy Life chocolate chunks (which are vegan). We loved them!
Emma L.
September 30, 2018
Wow! That's awesome. Thanks so much for reporting back with these substitutions, Alexandra.
Kim
September 23, 2018
Thank you for the recipe - these cookies are such a nice change from the traditional chocolate chip cookies I make all the time! My only concern is they didn't brown as shown in your recipe photo. I tried baking them longer, but this didn't help. I see other people commented on the same thing. Any advice?
Michelle P.
September 27, 2018
Hi Kim!
Mine also didn't brown. Mine were grayish beige, a very similar color to the tahini that I used. So, I'm thinking the cookie is just the same color as the tahini. This is the brand I used: http://www.tarazifoods.com/shop/tahini-1-lb/
Mine also didn't brown. Mine were grayish beige, a very similar color to the tahini that I used. So, I'm thinking the cookie is just the same color as the tahini. This is the brand I used: http://www.tarazifoods.com/shop/tahini-1-lb/
Emma L.
September 30, 2018
Hi! I wouldn't worry too much about the color; they might not brown in quite the same way as classic choc chip cookies because of the missing butter.
THEToughCookie
September 22, 2018
These are cooling on a rack now as I made them for a dear friend who loves chocolate chip cookies, but has a heart condition & doesn't eat dairy. He's gonna love me even more now. I baked mine off a couple of minutes longer...these are great crispy cookies!
Kathryn
September 19, 2018
I’ve been experimenting with Tahini in my gluten-free/dairy free baked goods, since figuring out that Xanthum gum really upset my stomach. I was looking for something that would help bind my desserts. Anyway, I was so happy to find these cookies. I made them gluten free as well and they turned out fantastic! Hard not to eat 20 in one sitting. Thank you!
Emma L.
September 20, 2018
Thank you for reporting back, Kathryn! That's great to hear that they worked successfully with a gluten-free flour swap.
Faith H.
September 17, 2018
I made these over the weekend and splurged on some bittersweet Valrhona discs from Central Market. I really loved this recipe, and while the tahini flavor was a little mild once baked, it added a wonderful complexity. My only qualm was the cookies never got much color to them and were a pale greyish tan after 10 minutes. I like my cookies slightly underbaked, so I never cooked the full 11 minutes. I ended up also making David Lebovitz's salted chocolate chip tahini cookies and preferred his over these. The butter helped add color to the final product, plus it created a more crispy edge while still maintaining a soft center. I know tahini doesn't have the same fat content as other nut/seed butters, but I'm eventually going to tinker with this recipe and sub out other nut/seed butters as I love the concept of this cookie. Thank you!
Emma L.
September 20, 2018
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Faith! If you try any other variations, let us know how they go :)
Enigmander
September 16, 2018
I just tried both this recipe as is and a vegan version using an egg replacement. It was very successful! I used the suggested substitution for 2 eggs of the “Follow Your Heart” brand. (4 Tbs of powder plus 10 Tbs of water. )
Taste was excellent tho a bit less cakey.
Taste was excellent tho a bit less cakey.
[email protected]
September 16, 2018
I decided to follow the tip from another, used my food processor, and dumped in the entire jar of Trader Joes Organic Tahini that I needed to use up. The jar size was slightly more then the recipe called for, I think 10.6 oz. The dough it created is beyond sticky (think super sticky wet paste), but the flavor is awesome! So, once I got it off my hands, I used 2 tablespoons, run under really hot water, to make each dough ball. Worked like a charm!
Burton
January 28, 2019
Yikes, wow, that's like a third again as much as the recipe calls for – no wonder your dough was so sticky! It's good to know that it still worked for you, though. How much did the cookies spread when you baked them?
mbelmel
September 15, 2018
What do you mean by tahini, as an ingredient? Do you mean the stuff in a jar? That's really tahini paste, which you mix with water (& often lemon juice, seasonings) to make tahini. Is that what you mean?
Emma L.
September 16, 2018
Hi mbelmel—sorry for the terminology confusion! On the site, we treat "tahini" and "tahini paste" interchangeably—most jar labels just call it "tahini"—so yes, the recipe just means the stuff in the jar. When we add water, lemon juice, seasonings, etc, we call that "tahini sauce," or something like that. Hope that helps!
ustabahippie
September 15, 2018
Do these really need so much sugar and salt?
Jennifer K.
September 15, 2018
I actually used half the salt. I was thinking of cutting the sugar next time, too. They're really good, but a little sweet for me. I was thinking 2/3 cup of each might work.
Mary
September 14, 2018
First, these are delicious. 2 questions...has anyone tried making them with an egg substitute? And, if using recipe as printed, how to make them a chewy as they look in the picture? :) although mine taste fantastic, they are a bit firm, and I undercooked them.
Emma L.
September 14, 2018
Hi! I didn't test these with an egg substitute, since I was focusing on the butter/tahini swap. But if anyone tries, please report back and let us know how it goes!
Laura L.
September 14, 2018
I’d like to try making these vegan by substituting the eggs. Would flax eggs work well here?
Emma L.
September 14, 2018
A flax egg would be my first bet, too; if you try, let us know how it goes! And for what it's worth, we have a totally Genius vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe on the site! See here: https://food52.com/recipes/39132-ovenly-s-secretly-vegan-salted-chocolate-chip-cookies
Jennifer K.
September 14, 2018
Just made these in preparation for the hurricane. They are awesome! I think I need to make them a little flatter though. I baked then for 12 minutes (I like crispy) and they still came out very light colored and puffy. Still taste great!
Emma L.
September 14, 2018
Baking is how I stay sane during storms, too—stay safe! So glad you're enjoying the cookies.
Jennifer K.
September 14, 2018
Seeing how many Food52 recipes I can get through while we still have power. Three down so far ;-)
Jennifer K.
September 14, 2018
Buttery Lemon Lace Cookies and sourdough biscuits. A few versions of overnight oats (with tahini) were yesterday. I'm thinking the tahini shortbread cookies are next ... I need to finish what's left of the jar ;-)
tres J.
September 12, 2018
My family loved this recipe! I dumped the 10 oz jar of tahini in the food processor, as my tahini had separated & was impossible to mix by hand. Then, out of pure laziness, I mixed the rest of the ingredients as if I were using my mixer. It worked like a charm, so easy and only one appliance to clean! Thanks fo much for sharing, we will be making these again and again.
FrugalCat
September 12, 2018
I don't have a stand mixer, but used a small hand mixer and it creamed fine. I used turbinado sugar and unbleached flour. I also went with standard chocolate chips (sorry, I am not hacking up 2 cups of chocolate chunks) and I added a ton (a bag) of walnut pieces. Big hit and I am already thinking of these for the holiday cookie exchange.
Emma L.
September 12, 2018
Love how you made the recipe your own! And honored that you'd consider 'em for the holidays.
Abi K.
September 10, 2018
Looks great - I have been thinking that "tollhouse" is such an old fashioned word, we need "speed lane" cookies - perhaps these are they!
lbn
September 10, 2018
I'm afraid that for me the tahini flavor didn't come across in the final product. I could definitely taste it in the batter, though, and it was delicious-- I wish I could go back and just eat that! :-D FWIW I used the Krinos brand.
Emma L.
September 11, 2018
Ha! I always eat more cookie dough than advised. The tahini flavor is subtler than I expected—though some of my co-workers thought it was super strong. I wonder if it depends on how much you eat tahini!
Rachel P.
September 9, 2018
Has anyone tried using whole wheat flour instead.
Emma L.
September 11, 2018
Hi! I haven't tried whole-wheat flour in this recipe, but agree with Michael that a whole-wheat pastry flour might be a better route than standard whole wheat here. Or perhaps a white whole wheat, or a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat.
masha
September 8, 2018
hi! I love to cook, but unfortunately I'm not much of a baker...meaning I don't have a standing mixer. Is there anyway these would come out even remotely decent if mushed by hand? or nah don't bother?
Liz D.
September 9, 2018
We always made cookies by hand when I was a kid. It just takes some elbow grease. I say go for it!
Emma L.
September 11, 2018
Hi Masha—I haven't tried by-hand with this recipe but agree with Liz: go for it! Just be prepared for a bit of an arm workout.
Oaklandpat
September 7, 2018
I have had other tahini chocolate chip cookies, but was unable to taste the tahini in the final product....a big disappointment. What about with this recipe? Can you taste the tahini?
Randy B.
September 8, 2018
I am making these right now, and trying the first batch I can definitely taste the tahini - in a very nice way. The balance of flavor in these are great. I used Joyva brand tahini, which is super thick, which in turn made my dough super thick. The end result did not flatten out like the picture, but they are super delicious.
Francine H.
September 14, 2018
I make the David Leibovitz’s Salted Tahini CC cookies all the time and the tahini is not he main flavor. What I find is it lessens the sweetness of the batter and really highlights the chocolate .
Sara N.
September 7, 2018
Does this recipe benefit from resting the dough overnight in the fridge?
Emma L.
September 7, 2018
Hi Sara! Because I was happy with the way the cookies baked up right after mixing, I didn't test that route. I try to avoid any extra/time-intensive steps when possible :) If you try, let me know!
swm780
September 22, 2018
It doesn't really affect the flavor one way or another. But I since there are only 2 of us in our household, I bake 6 at a time in the countertop oven and keep the rest of the dough in the fridge. I've kept it up to a week with out a problem.
Mary
September 6, 2018
Why the change from semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks to bittersweet chocolate chunks?
Emma L.
September 6, 2018
Hi Mary! Just personal preference :) I like the way irregularly shaped chunks melt and bittersweet chocolate's deeper, darker flavor. Feel free to go with whatever chocolate you like best!
Ann
September 6, 2018
What brand of tahini was used for developing the recipe? I've found that tahini consistency can really vary by brand—some are much more oily/runny than others.
Emma L.
September 6, 2018
Hi Ann! Good Q. I actually used a variety of brands: Roland, Whole Foods 365, Trader Joe's, and Mighty Sesame. They all worked just fine. If I *had* to pick one, Whole Foods is my go-to.
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