Tahini does for cookies what peanut butter does, but drier and more savoury, so the chocolate tastes darker and the sugar tastes less sweet. Give the jar a proper stir before you measure, since the oil separates and the paste at the bottom is far too thick.
Everything you need
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (120 g) tahini, well stirred
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1¼ cups (210 g) dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 tbsp (18 g) sesame seeds
- flaky sea salt, to finish
Weigh, don't scoop. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient to open its converter.
Method
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Whisk the melted butter, tahini and both sugars together until smooth and glossy. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk for another minute.
For this step
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (120 g) tahini
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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Fold in the flour, baking soda and fine salt until no dry patches remain, then fold in the chopped chocolate.
For this step
- 1¾ cups (219 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1¼ cups (210 g) dark chocolate
- flaky sea salt
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Chill the dough for 30 minutes. Tahini doughs are looser than butter doughs, so this stops them spreading into lace.
For this step
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (120 g) tahini
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Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F and line two trays. Scoop 2 tablespoon balls, spacing them well apart, and press a pinch of sesame seeds onto each top.
For this step
- 2 tbsp (18 g) sesame seeds
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Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are set and the centres still look soft. Finish each one with a pinch of flaky salt while hot.
For this step
- ½ tsp fine salt
- flaky sea salt
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Cool on the tray for 10 minutes. They firm up a lot as they cool, so don't judge them straight out of the oven.
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Worth knowing
- Buy a runny tahini, the kind that pours. Stiff, claggy tahini makes a dry cookie.
- The flaky salt is not optional here. It's what turns the tahini from odd to addictive.
Make it your own
- Swap tahini for smooth almond butter or peanut butter, gram for gram.
- Add ½ tsp ground cardamom to the dry ingredients for a Middle Eastern lean.
Storing & freezing
Airtight at room temperature for 4 days; the tahini flavour deepens on day two. Freeze scooped dough balls for 3 months and bake from frozen, adding 2 minutes.
Frequently asked
How many grams is a cup of tahini?
About 240 g per US cup, so the ½ cup here is roughly 120 g. Stir the jar thoroughly first, or you'll measure mostly oil or mostly paste.
Do these taste like sesame?
They taste nutty and slightly savoury rather than strongly of sesame. Most people guess halva or peanut butter before they guess tahini.
Cooking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
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A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.
Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.