Salted Tahini Chocolate Cookies
You might think a standard chocolate cookie was good enough, until you met these salted tahini chocolate chip cookies. They're a little smaller and thicker than standard cookies, which are usually made as big as your face and with a little spread from the fats. These though, are perfect for popping in your mouth. The mild, sweet, and nutty flavour hits your tongue first, with a gentle sweetness from the brown sugar and a bitter, rich flavour permeating through from the dark chocolate.
What makes these Salted Tahini Chocolate Cookies so great?
While I know I don't really need to tell you why cookies are great in general, there are a few reasons why this particular recipe is one I love dearly.
They're easy to make!
They're packed with flavour.
You can switch any of the ingredients easily.
They take less than 30 minutes to make.
They keep for up to 4 days (store in an airtight container).
What do I need to make these Salted Tahini Chocolate Cookies?
Flour. Spelt flour has a lovely nutty flavour that truly complements the taste of sesame and tahini. I use a combination of both spelt and plain, but you could easily make these cookies with either.
Butter. Use a good-quality high-carotene butter that's creamy and rich for the best flavour.
Tahini. While tahini is the primary flavour in these cookies, you can easily substitute it with cashew butter, sunflower seed butter or another nut butter of choice.
Sugar. To give these cookies a subtle caramel flavour, I use light brown. You can certainly make these with caster or granulated sugar which will yield a cookie lighter in flavour, or dark brown for a heavier, richer cookies with a molasses flavour.
Eggs. Always use free-range eggs for best results. If you don't want to waste anything, buy cartooned egg yolks.
Vanilla. Essence, extract or vanilla bean paste are all fine to use in this recipe for a slightly floral, perfumed aroma.
Chocolate. Choose a chocolate that is 70% or above. These would also work wonderfully with white chocolate.
Sesame seeds. Not essential, but do finish off your cookies beautifully!
How to make these Salted Tahini Chocolate Cookies:
Firstly, combine the dry ingredients.
Secondly, beat together the wet ingredients.
Thirdly, add the chopped chocolate.
Then, scoop balls of dough using a scooper or your hands.
After, roll in sesame seeds, sprinkle over flaky sea salt and bake!
Tips for making epic cookies
Cookies are one of the easiest recipes on the planet, but there are a few tips that will help yield the very best flavour and results every single time.
Rest the dough overnight. This helps the dry ingredients soak up the fats, leading to a deeper flavour.
Use good quality chocolate. The better your chocolate, the better the taste.
Use a cookie scoop. For uniform cookies, I always like to use a size 20 or size 30 portioner.
Get your timings right. You want you cookies golden, but not overly brown for that chewy centre.
Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Your cookies will still be baking once out of the oven while still on the hot tray. Be patient, and leave them to cool sufficiently before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Salted Tahini Chocolate Cookies
These Salted Tahini Chocolate Cookies are a delicate combination of nutty tahini, caramel-y brown sugar and bitter dark chocolate.
125 g spelt flour
100 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch fine sea salt
100 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
75 g tahini
200 g light brown sugar
1 large egg (+ 1 egg yolk)
1 tsp vanilla essence
200 g 70% dark chocolate
Sesame seeds (for rolling)
Flaky sea salt (to sprinkle)
Place the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl and mix together to combine, then set aside.
Put the butter, tahini and sugar into a large bowl and using an electric whisk, beat together until light and fluffy. This should take about 5-7mins.
Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and beat again to combine.
Scrape down the sides of your bowl using a spatula, then pour in your dry ingredients. Mix with your whisk until a dough starts to form.
Add your chopped chocolate and use your hands to evenly distribute.
Scoop the dough into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 4 hours until firm. N.B. You can always make these a day ahead and bake them the next day.
Weigh the dough out 60g at a time, and shape into balls. Roll in a bowl of sesame seeds to cover.
Place onto parchment-lined baking trays, a few inches apart as they will spread and sprinkle with the flaky sea salt.
Bake in a preheated oven at 190C (170C fan) for about 10-11 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on a baking tray for 10minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.