Salted Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have several traditional chocolate chip cookie recipes on my site - one that uses browned butter, one that is soft and chewy, one that uses blended oatmeal, and the original toll house chocolate chip cookie recipe which is near perfect in my opinion. I’m always looking to improve on a traditional recipe or just try something different. One of my friends turned me on to this salted tahini chocolate chip cookie recipe. After reading this recipe, I knew in a split second that I wanted to try it.  I mixed the cookie dough as the recipe instructs and I could smell the tahini a mile a way. I couldn’t help but think that adding it was a huge mistake and I was convinced that I was not going to like it. Despite the musky weird smell of the cookie dough, I forged ahead with the recipe --I refrigerated the dough for over 24 hours and baked the cookies the next day. Just one bite convinced me that the addition of the tahini combined with the chocolate is pure genius. The cookie has a rich caramelized and intense chocolate flavor, and it has a soft center with a crunchy exterior, just the way I like my chocolate chip cookies. The tahini flavor in the baked cookie is subtle and adds a unique, delicious, and nutty sweetness.  This is definitely not your traditional chocolate chip cookie. If you are looking for something a little more sophisticated and exotic, then you should definitely try this cookie.

 

 

Ingredients

 
  • 4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup tahini paste, well stirred
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (90 grams) brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 cups (280 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate bar, chopped in chunks
  • Flaky salt, like fleur de sel or Maldon
 

Instructions

 
Step 1: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, tahini and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. 
 
Step 2: Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and continue mixing at medium speed for another 5 minutes.
 
Step 3: Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt into a large bowl and mix with a fork. 
 
Step 4: Add flour mixture to butter mixture at low speed until just combined. Add chocolate chunks. For the chocolate chunks, I chopped my own and used a mixture of bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate (Hershey's bars) and semisweet chocolate. The dough will be soft, not stiff. Refrigerate at least 24 hours.
 
Step 5: When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking mat. Use a large ice cream scoop or spoon to form dough into 12 to 18 balls.  
 
Step 6: Place the cookies on the baking sheet at least 3 inches apart to allow them to spread. Bake 10 to 13 minutes until just golden brown around the edges but still pale in the middle to make thick, soft cookies. 
 
Step 7: As cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle sparsely with salt. The salt is optional in my opinion.  While I like the salt, many of my family members prefer them without the salt. Let cool at least 20 minutes on a rack.

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