Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sweet, salty, nutty, chocolatey… These are the bees’ knees of cookies. Sort of grown up and sophisticated but still has the comfort of a warm chocolate chip cookie. Like a hug from your cool aunt after she’s been away travelling the world for six months (yes, this is what I aspire to be to my three gorgeous nephews!).
Tahini is similar to peanut butter but is made from blended sesame seeds (NB do not eat if you have a sesame allergy!!). It’s used in hummus, babaganoush, halva, in salad dressings or mixed with yoghurt to go with roast veg. It’s also delicious on toast with honey!
Nutritionally, tahini is rich in vitamins, primarily B1 and B6, as well as micronutrients such as magnesium, calcium, iron, and phosphorous. Tahini is energy-dense, due to its high fat content, but these are mainly ‘healthy fats’ (a mix of mono and poly-unsaturated fats). Swapping out some of the butter for tahini reduced the amount of saturated fat in the cookies. Tahini also provides some plant protein – about 3 g per tablespoon!
All that said these aren’t a ‘healthy version’ of cookies, they are the real deal just a little bit more exotic!
Tahini is on my list of small luxuries/investments that every kitchen would benefit greatly from having. Along with a bottle of good quality extra virgin olive oil and a microplane grater. Having spent the past four months without my little food processor, I’m adding it to the list too. Trust me, these are game-changing items! Tahini is well worth buying if it’s something you have never cooked with before, its such a unique taste and can add so much to a dish. I think this is the third recipe on the blog that has called for tahini, so it won’t be wasted sitting at the back of your cupboard! If it has split, the oil will be on top of the jar when you open it, simply mix well to bring the oil and solids back together.
This recipe was inspired by the amazing tahini cookies we get in the Oranjezicht Market in Cape Town – Park Run ends right next door so it would be rude not to stop for a coffee and a cookie on the way home!
** I recommend leaving the dough to chill in the fridge for at least an hour (can sit here happily for a few hours) but feel free to skip this if you are in a hurry! **
Ingredients
100g butter - not straight from the fridge, if it is rock solid give it 10 seconds in the microwave first
100g brown sugar
150g tahini
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence/extract (optional)
150g plain flour
100g chocolate – I used 60% ‘dark milk’ – chopped up into small chunks (or used chocolate chips!)
Flaky sea salt
Makes about 15 medium - small cookies.
Method
1. If you don’t have time to chill your dough preheat your oven to 180c.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and well mixed, with a wooden spoon, electric whisk or Kitchen Aid with the paddle attachment.
3. Add the tahini and mix well.
4. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again.
5. Gently mix in the flour and chocolate chips.
6. Pop the bowl of dough into the fridge for at least an hour.
7. Preheat your oven to 180c, line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
8. Using a small spoon and your hands, roll the dough into little balls, slightly smaller than a golf ball.
9. Place the balls of dough on the trays, spaced out from each other. Flatten them down and sprinkle a little sea salt on each.
10. Bake for about 12 minutes, this will depend on your oven but check them after 10 minutes, they may take up to 15 minutes. If you like a more raw chewy cookie check after 8 minutes.
11. Leave to cool before moving them from the tray.
12. Serve with an ice-cold glass of milk!
