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 a 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 tahini millionaire bars, tahini banana bread, and even chocolate tanini 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. Substitute almond butter or cashew butter if needed.
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. Agave nectar can be used as a vegan maple syrup substitute.
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 an 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 like in these tahini brownies! And 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.
How to make chocolate tahini cookies
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 stir 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 the sesame mixture and place it on the baking sheet.
Step 4: Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes.
Helpful tips
- Stir 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 of 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 them to avoid sogginess. Baked goods made solely with almond flour tend to soften 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 find peanut butter and other nut butter. It can sometimes be found in the aisle with 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.
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!