These easy Chocolate Tahini Cookies are slightly nutty with a great chocolate flavor. Made with almond flour and sweetened with maple syrup they are gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free.
For a soft, chewy cookie, tahini is game changer. Combined with almond flour the result is the perfect combination for texture and chew.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Rich chocolate and nutty flavor
- Simple ingredients
- Gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free
What is tahini?
Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds, often with salt and oil, and ground into a creamy texture.
Tahini, also known as sesame seed paste, is often used in savory recipes such as dressings, sauces, and dips (like hummus). It is versatile enough to be used in sweet offerings like bars, bread, and even ice cream.
Ingredients and substitutions
Here are a few quick notes about the main ingredients in this recipe. You can see a complete list of ingredients and instructions in the recipe card below.
Tahini - This sesame seed paste adds a nutty flavor and helps bind the cookies. Seed and nut butters make excellent binders in egg-free and gluten-free baking.
Almond butter makes a good substitute.
Almond flour - This gluten-free flour creates a tender crumb. It's a handy ingredient to have on hand in a gluten-free pantry.
Maple syrup - The caramel notes of maple syrup pair well with the nutty tahini. This is also a great vegan and refined sugar-free liquid sweetener.
Ground flaxseed - You can buy store-bought ground flaxseed or grind your own whole flaxseed. The ground flax will make up our flax egg.
The flax egg acts as a egg replacer and also helps to bind.
Unsweetened cocoa powder - Cocoa powder gives us a rich chocolate flavor. Tahini and chocolate are a delicious combination!
Check out these vegan tahini chocolate chip cookies!
Vanilla extract - When using unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla rounds out the chocolate flavor and adds a subtle sweetness. A good quality vanilla extract will give the best flavor.
Chocolate chips - Choose dairy-free chocolate if needed. Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars work well.
Step-by-step instructions
Before you start: Prepare flax egg, set aside for two minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk the wet ingredients (tahini, maple syrup, and flax egg) together.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients (almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) and vanilla extract. Stir until fully combined.
Fold in chocolate chips. Let the cookie dough chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Step 3: Place the sesame seeds and sea salt in a small bowl and sir to combine. Then using a small spoon or cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough and gently roll into a loose ball with your hands. Dip or roll each ball into sesame mixture and place on baking sheet.
Step 4: Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes.
Helpful tips
- Stir the the tahini well before using. This prevents separated, runny tahini.
- For best results, chill the dough for at least one hour.
- Gluten-free vegan cookies can sometimes be delicate. Wait a couple minutes once they are out of the oven before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. There they should cool completely to room temperature before serving or storage.
- I added sea salt to the sesame seeds before rolling the cookie dough in it, but you can simply use sesame seeds.
- I love these cookies covered in seeds and without seeds, but dipping the cookie dough balls so that the seeds only cover the top half of the cookie may be my very favorite variation.
Storage
Store the baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Ensure that the melty chocolate chip tahini cookies have cooled completely before storing to avoid sogginess. Baked goods made solely with almond flour tend to soften a bit over time.
FAQs
This paste made from ground sesame seeds has a slightly nutty and earthy flavor.
Tahini is great in helping moisten baked goods and enhance flavor. It is also a great nut butter substitute for those that are allergic to nuts.
You can find the sesame seed paste in most grocery stores where you would peanut butter and other nut butters. It can sometimes be found in the aisle with the international food.
More tahini recipes
Love this recipe? Please consider leaving a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating on the recipe card below and let me know what you think in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Tahini Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 flax egg 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons warm water
- ½ cup (123g) tahini*
- ½ cup (115ml) maple syrup
- ¾ cup (75g) almond flour
- ½ cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup (45g) coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (95g) dairy-free chocolate chips I used Enjoy Life brand mini chips
- ¼-1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare flax egg, set aside for two minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk tahini, maple syrup, and flax egg together. Add almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir until fully combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the sesame seeds and sea salt in a small bowl and sir to combine. Fill another small bowl with water.
- The cookie dough will be sticky, so spray your hands with cooking spray, then using a small spoon or tablespoon, scoop cookie dough and gently roll into a loose ball with your hands. Dip the tops or roll each ball into sesame mixture and place on cookie sheet.
- Dip a fork into the water and press down slightly vertically and then horizontally on top of ball. Rewet your fork each time. This is not to get a tines marking on your cookies, rather, it is to ensure they spread into a more even circle during baking.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and wait a minute or two before transferring cookies to a wire rack.
Tara Nolan
These cookies are delicious. I used half the sugar and didn't put as much salt in with the sesame seeds, based on another commenter's recommendation. The dough ended up in the fridge for over an hour, which I think made it easier to work with.
Tessa
Thank you, Tara!
Paula
These are amazing. Some of the best I have made! Added a bit cardamom , not too sweet. Cant wait to try brownies ❤️
Tessa
I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Paula!
Frances
I just made these and they were delish! I omitted the vanilla (didn't have any) as well as the 1/4 cup of coconut sugar and salt (trying to cut down my sugar intake and was worried that, without the sugar, the salt would be overpowering). I added a little dried date in the centre of each cookie instead to give the cookies a little more natural sweetness. So good!
Tessa
Thank you, Frances! Love the date addition!
Heidi
These came out excellent, will definitely be adding to my cookie list as a staple. I made the cookies bigger so mine yielded about 14 cookies rather than 24.
Tessa
Awesome! Thanks so much, Heidi!
Caroline
These are so good! I omitted the chocolate chips, because my sweet tooth is mild, and these were perfect. Very sticky and hard to handle so use a small spoon like the recipe states. Lovely weekend treat- thank you:-)
Tessa
Thank you, Caroline! That is great to hear. I appreciate it!
Natalie
These cookies are AMAZING! I”m wondering if you can freeze the dough? Note that I used a regular egg and regular brown sugar instead of coconut sugar and they turned out perfectly!
Tessa
I think you probably could freeze this dough and allow it to thaw in the fridge. Thank you!
Elizabeth Hill
I've made these twice. I am keto so use 0% sugar syrup (no extra sugar) plus sugar free chocolate chips. I freeze them and if a bit hard crunch them up in almond milk - yum. Do you have the nutrients so I can add to MyFitnessPal?
Tessa
Thank you, Elizabeth! That is great. I don't at this time, but hope to this summer for all recipes.
Mary
I've made these cookies twice, once with the flax egg and once without it. I like the taste and texture better without the flax egg.
Tessa
Thank you, Mary!
Barb
These were so much better than I anticipated!! Not too sweet. A little crunch on the outside and soft and pillowy in the middle. The flavors just lingered on my tongue. It took all my willpower not to eat them all.
Tessa
I'm so glad! It's nice when a treat does that. :) I have trouble not eating them all at once! Thank you, Barb.
Carolyn Lunn
The cookie itself was amazingly good. However, the amount of salt to sesame seeds is way too much. Expensive mistake. Will try to make them again without the salt...so disappointed because the cookie itself is so good.
Jordan
If I made these on a Sunday for a Thursday event, would they last (if I don't eat them first)?
Tessa
Hi Jordan! Haha, not eating them is the hard part! I would say for best taste and quality, I wouldn't make them more than 2 days ahead of when you need them.
Helena
Delicious cookies but had some trouble in the process! The mixture was far too runny and wet to work with so I added 1/4 cup of spelt flour, I would also recommend wetting your hands to roll the dough into balls rather than cooking spray -worked much better for me.
Tessa
Hi Helena! Thanks for mentioning, wetting your hands is a great way to help with the sticky too. This batter is definitely runnier than most, but it could vary a bit with oil content from certain brands of tahini. I'm glad the spelt helped!!
Stephanie
Hello! A friend of mine referred me to this recipe and I had to try them because I LOVE tahini!
SO I just made them (in the oven as we speak!), but I noticed that my batter was kind of like a thick cake batter... I followed the recipe exactly except for using brown sugar instead of coconut sugar because I didn't have any. But that shouldn't have made a huge difference... It was so runny I was not able to flatten it with a fork, it just oozed into shape, lol.
What do you think was a factor?
*EDIT*
They just came out, and it was hard for me to gauge how long to bake t hem for as they were much runnier... so I had them in for almost 19min. They sort of look like yours but I'm waiting for them to cool to see the texture.
ragusad
HI! Just wanted do say thank you for this recipe. I already made these twice!
I made some changes;
put stevia instead of sugar
almond extract because I did not have vanilla
did not have sesame seeds either
omitted chocolate chips.
Both times: delicious without feeling guilty. ;) A chewy perfection and it was so easy.
fatema
I always used tahini to make hummus. Never knew we could use it this way as well.
I am sure it will be very exciting to make tahini chocolate cookies.
Tessa
Thanks, Fatema! That was the same for me too, only in hummus! I have since discovered it is a fantastic ingredient in baked goods.
Marion
Thank you for this recipe. I made some for some gluten free and vegan friends. These biscuits are relish but beware you do not over bake or they will not have the lovely soft texture inside. I think these would be great made into a vegan icecream sandwich!
Tessa
I am so glad you liked it, Marion! I love your idea for making them into vegan ice cream sandwiches...I most definitely will be trying that!
Marla
Who hates Tahini? lol. These were really yummy. Thank you for the recipe:)))
Tessa
So glad you liked them!! Happy holidays, Marla! <3
JennyBakes
I loved this recipe and my husband has asked for a chocolate mint version .... I'm not sure about doing that with tahini. Do you think I could use peanut butter instead of tahini since that was what you had in your original recipe minus the cocoa powder?
Tessa
I'm so happy you liked it! I agree with you, I think peanut butter, or even almond butter, would be better suited with chocolate mint. I think either should substitute just fine for the tahini. I'd love to hear how that turns out. Also, I have a chocolate peppermint recipe coming tomorrow! ;) Thanks, Jenny!
soledad
hi! can i use regular egg? i m from argentina and we haven t flax egg, thank you!
Tessa
Hi Soledad! I haven't tried this recipe with a regular egg but my guess is that it should work just fine. You may want to lightly beat the egg before adding it in with the other ingredients. I'd love to hear if this works for you!
Amie
Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe! One of my family members has a nut allergy, and so I subbed in oat flour (just pulsed oats in the food processor) and it worked a treat!
Tessa
Thank you, Amie! I am so happy that the oat flour worked well in this recipe - I love having workable substitutions! :) xo
Millie
Wow - I just made these and they are AMAZING! So so delicious - best cookies I've eaten since going vegan. The sesame seeds on the outside give a delicious crunch, but then they're soft and packed with chocolate on the inside. Love the hint of tahini too - now I just have to try not to eat them all off the cooling rack!
Tessa
Thank you so much, Millie!! They are truly my absolute favorite cookies. So addictive! Haha. I am so happy that you love them. That makes my day! <3
Sarah | Well and Full
Wow these cookies look amazing!! I love chocolate and tahini combined, it's so good! :D
Tessa
Oh my goodness, it is such a good combo! I wish I had discovered it sooner. :) Thanks so much, Sarah!
Joanne
So delicious!! These will be on constant rotation in my kitchen. I used homemade almond flour from almond milk pulp, topped up with a little homemade buckwheat flour. My husband and I are obsessed... just need to get our daughter on board.
Have you tried tahini fudge? So easy and one of my favourite foods.
Thank you :)
Tessa
I am so glad!! That's great to hear. Thank you for letting me know!
I have not tried tahini fudge - but now I must! That sounds absolutely delicious. Thank you, Joanne!
Bethany @ athletic avocado
These cookies look amazing! Im totally diggin the chocolate and tahini combo! SO GOOD!
Tessa
Thank you, Bethany!! Chocolate and tahini work SO well together! :)
Alison M Marras
You know I love tahini, tahini cookies, and everything in between... girl! These look absolutely perfect. PINNING. XO!
Tessa
Hahaha, these are right up your alley!! Thanks, my friend! xoxo.
genevieve @ gratitude & greens
Tahini is such a great ingredient to use in both sweet and savoury cooking. I love your description of this as a brownie that's kind of nutty- that's totally my kind of treat! <3
Tessa
I can't say no to anything that includes the word brownie in the description. ;) I now want to experiment with tahini so much more! Thank you, Genevieve!!
Kate
I can vouch for these! So good. :) I've been obsessed with tahini since I went to Israel. Yum!
Tessa
:) :) So glad you liked them!
Leila
Looks delicious! I'd rather use real egg -- would that work? How would the recipe look? Thanks!!
Tessa
Hi Leila! Yes, you could sub a real egg for the flax egg. I haven't tried that with this recipe so I'm not sure how different the cookie would look. My guess is that it may just puff up a little more. But, if you chill the dough as noted in the instructions, then there may not be too much of a difference. I'd be interested to hear how using a real egg turns out!
Leila
Thank you!
Swasti Pal
I've tried these with an actual egg, and it works very well!
Amanda Paa
Dang, I think that half sesame seed covered look is my favorite too! I've been wanting to make tahini ice cream, and how good would that be with these brownie like babes?! Sounds like you didn't plenty of testing to get them just right, the slight chewiness I love.
xo
Tessa
Oh my goodness, you are so right. These with tahini ice cream would be killer! xoxo
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
Wow Tessa, these look so deliciously chocolatey! Wish I could grab one right off the screen!
Tessa
If we lived closer, I'd certainly bring you a batch!! Hope you've had a great weekend, Mary Ann!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
These chocolate tahini cookies are stunners- I love the savory/sweet play here and the sesame seeds! Pinning :)
Tessa
Thank you, Medha!! They are just chewy enough that the chocolate + tahini make for a decadent, satisfying combo. :)
Emily
So funny because I'm the opposite, I tend to use tahini in so many savory things and I want to try using it in more sweet! Your cookies are perfect for inspiration- I can just imagine how well the tahini and chocolate go together. Beautiful cookies!
Tessa
I decided when I'm on summer break I am going to delve more into both the sweet and savory sides of tahini. After reading about how nutritious it is, I need to implement it more! :) Thank you, Emily!! <3
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
I too have been seeing tahini all over the interwebs being used in everything far beyond hummus. Of course, there's always room for a good hummus recipe, but used in a cookie? I love this! What a gorgeous little cookie, Tessa. All that testing paid off for sure. "A Superfood Brownie Cookie?" I'm done. xo
Tessa
Haha, yes, superfood + brownie cookie and you don't have to tell me twice! ;) There is definitely always room for a good hummus recipe - I'm pretty sure my diet consists of 50% hummus. Ha. Thank you, Traci!!!
Kelsey @ Appeasing a Food Geek
I am just like you with the tahini baking goals! I keep meaning to make some sweet recipes with tahini paste. And this recipe sounds like just the place to start! Brownie-like cookies with a nutty flavor? Yes please! Also, gorgeous photos, as always ;) xoxo
Tessa
I was happy that I liked it so much in a sweet application. You just never know sometimes! Thank you so much, Kelsey. xoxo