Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies bring something different to the standard chocolate chip cookie formula. Instead of butter, tahini provides the fat and moisture, creating cookies with incredibly chewy centers and crispy edges. The sesame paste adds a subtle nutty depth that makes these more interesting than your typical batch.
These cookies are naturally dairy-free, which makes them work for various dietary needs without tasting like a compromise. The texture is legitimately better than most butter-based versions—that thick, almost bendy chewiness in the center with properly caramelized edges. They’re ideal for weekend baking sessions, cookie swaps, or simply keeping your cookie jar stocked with something a little more sophisticated than the usual offerings.
If You’ve Never Tried Tahini Cookies, Here’s Why You Should
✾ Stupid simple: One bowl, wooden spoon, 25 minutes total. No mixer, no fuss, no complicated steps
✾ Better texture: Tahini creates cookies that are crispy outside and seriously chewy inside without any tricks
✾ Naturally dairy-free: Works for people who can’t do butter, and you’d never know it’s “special diet” anything
✾ No chilling needed: Unlike most cookie recipes, you can scoop and bake immediately
✾ More interesting flavor: The subtle sesame taste makes these way more grown-up and sophisticated than basic chocolate chip cookies
✾ Ingredient staple: Once you have tahini in your fridge, you can make these anytime (it keeps for months)
Everything You’ll Need to Make These!
• 1 cup tahini (well-stirred). Use regular tahini, not the raw kind. The oil separates like crazy, so stir it really well before measuring. Soom, Seed + Mill, or Trader Joe’s brands all work great.
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar. Brown sugar keeps things chewy. You could use dark brown sugar if you want more molasses flavor, but light works perfectly.
• 1 large egg (room temp). Cold eggs don’t mix as smoothly. If you forgot to take it out early, just stick it in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Use the real stuff, not imitation. There aren’t many ingredients here, so quality matters.
• ½ teaspoon baking soda. This gives the cookies lift and helps create those crispy edges everyone loves.
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Regular table salt is fine too. If you’re sensitive to salt, dial it back to ⅓ teaspoon.
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips. Go for 60-70% cacao. Milk chocolate makes them too sweet, and the dark chocolate balances the tahini’s richness.
Optional but worth it:
• Flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top (seriously, do this)
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds for extra crunch
• Chopped walnuts or pecans if you want more nuttiness
Substitutions that actually work: Almond butter can replace tahini, but you lose that signature sesame flavor. For nut-free, use sunflower seed butter (heads up: it might turn the cookies slightly green from a chemical reaction with baking soda—totally safe, just looks weird). For vegan cookies, use a flax egg instead (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water, let it sit for 5 minutes).
Let’s Bake: How to Make Tahini Cookies Step by Step
1 Get your oven ready
Heat it to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Don’t skip parchment—these cookies have a lot of natural oils and will absolutely stick to a bare pan. If you only have one sheet, just bake in batches and let it cool between rounds.
2 Mix tahini and sugar
Dump the tahini and brown sugar into a big bowl. Use a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula and mix hard for about a minute. At first it’ll look thick and grainy, but keep going until it smooths out and the sugar starts dissolving into the tahini. Your arm will get a little workout, but this step is what creates the structure for chewy cookies.
3 Add the egg and vanilla
Crack in your room-temp egg, pour in the vanilla, and beat everything together for 30-45 seconds. The mixture should turn glossy and lighter in color. You’ll see it transform from thick paste to something smoother. If your egg was cold, it might look a bit separated—that’s okay, it’ll come together.
4 Mix in the dry stuff
Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over your wet mixture. Stir gently, maybe 10-12 times, just until you don’t see any white streaks. The dough will firm up a little as the baking soda gets incorporated. Don’t go crazy here—overmixing makes tougher cookies.
5 Fold in chocolate chips
Add your chocolate chips and fold them in as gently as possible. The dough should be thick and slightly oily-looking—that’s exactly right. If it seems too loose (which happens sometimes depending on your tahini brand), stick the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes.
6 Shape them
Use a cookie scoop or spoon to portion out about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll each one briefly between your palms to smooth it out, then place them on your baking sheets with good spacing—about 3 inches apart. Press each ball down gently to about ½-inch thick. They won’t spread a ton, but they need room.
7 Bake
If you’re adding flaky salt or sesame seeds, sprinkle them on now. Bake for 11-13 minutes. The edges should just start turning golden brown while the centers still look a little puffy and underdone. They’ll feel soft when you pull them out—that’s correct. Don’t wait for them to look fully set or you’ll end up with dry cookies.
8 Cool properly
This is important: let the cookies sit on the hot baking sheet for 5 full minutes. This is when they finish setting up and develop that perfect texture. After 5 minutes, move them to a cooling rack. If you try to move them earlier, they’ll fall apart.
What No One Tells You About Getting these Cookies Just Right
✾ Your oven temperature actually matters: These need exactly 350°F for that crispy-chewy combo. Even 15 degrees hotter will brown the edges too fast. Get a cheap oven thermometer if your cookies keep coming out weird.
✾ Stir that tahini every single time: I know you stirred it last week, but the oil separates fast. If you measure unstirred tahini, your ratios will be off and the cookies might turn out dry or crumbly.
✾ Underbake slightly: These keep cooking on the hot pan after they come out. If the centers look done in the oven, they’ll be overdone by the time they cool. Pull them when they still look a tiny bit raw in the middle.
✾ Freeze the dough: Scoop the dough balls, freeze them on a baking sheet until solid, then bag them up. They’ll keep for 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, just add 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
✾ Chop your own chocolate: Instead of chips, chop up a good chocolate bar. You get irregular chunks that create better melty pockets and make the cookies look more expensive.
Nutrition Information (per cookie, makes 18)
• Calories: 145
• Total Fat: 9g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Carbs: 15g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 11g
• Protein: 3g
• Sodium: 95mg
✾ Nutrition info is estimated and will vary based on brands and any substitutions you make.
You ask, I answer!
➲ My tahini has a huge oil slick on top. Is that still good to use?
Yep, totally normal. That’s just natural separation. Stir it back in really well before measuring. Actually, natural tahini (without stabilizers) usually has better flavor, so that oil layer is a good sign.
➲ Why did my cookies spread flat or turn out weird?
Usually means your tahini was too warm or oily. Try chilling the dough for 15-20 minutes before baking. Also check your baking soda—if it’s old, the cookies won’t rise properly and will spread more.
➲ How long do these keep, and should I refrigerate them?
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They stay chewy if you throw a piece of bread in the container (it releases just enough moisture). For longer storage, freeze them for up to 2 months—just layer parchment between them.
➲ Can I make a bigger batch?
Definitely. This doubles or triples perfectly. Just measure carefully—different parts of the tahini jar can have different oil ratios. Mix each batch separately instead of making one giant quadruple batch, which makes even mixing harder.
So… Are Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies Worth It? Absolutely.
These cookies are the kind of recipe that becomes a regular thing once you make them. They’re different enough to be interesting but familiar enough that everyone loves them. The texture alone is worth trying—that crispy-chewy thing is addictive. Plus, the fact that they’re dairy-free and come together so easily makes them an easy go-to.
You may also like my:
✾ Easy 3 Ingredient Cake Mix Cookies (Ready in 15 Minutes!)
✾ Easy 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies (Ready in 15 Minutes!)
✾ Rich & Soft Fudgy Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies (Ready in 30 Min!)
✾ Soft & Easy White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies (15 Min Prep!)
Let me know how yours turn out in the comments! Did you add sesame seeds? Use different chocolate? Make any changes? Save this to Pinterest so you can find it next time you’re craving cookies, and if you post them on Instagram, tag @hdrecipe.co—I love seeing what you bake.
List Of Sections
Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup tahini well-stirred
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips 60-70% cacao
- Flaky sea salt for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix tahini and brown sugar vigorously with a wooden spoon for 60 seconds until smooth and combined.
- Add egg and vanilla. Beat for 30-45 seconds until mixture becomes glossy and lighter in color.
- Sprinkle baking soda and salt over mixture. Stir gently 10-12 times until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout dough.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll into balls and place on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Press each ball down to ½-inch thickness.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes until edges are golden but centers still look slightly underdone.
- Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
