These chocolate chip tahini cookies pack a nutritional punch with fiber, healthy fats and protein, plus they’re vegan & gluten-free!
I’m going to come out and say it. This is one of the best cookie recipes I’ve ever created! They are ridiculously good.
When it comes to baked goods I’m all about the crunch factor. I like a little crunch to my cookies and I absolutely LOVE it when muffins have crunchy muffin top edges. It’s the best. These cookies have the best of both worlds – a bit crunchy around the edges and chewy in the center. Perfection.
Tahini in Desserts
If you’ve never heard of (or baked with) tahini, let me introduce you to one my favorite ingredients! Tahini is ground sesame seeds. That’s it! As expected, it has the consistency of other nut and seed butters. It’s packed with protein, fiber and many necessary vitamins and minerals. Tahini is used in Middle-Eastern dishes and savory recipes like my zesty tahini dressing and this roasted butternut squash pasta with tahini sauce, but it adds an amazing flavor and texture to baked goods too. If you’ve ever tried halva you’ll know how good tahini can taste in sweet recipes. And it is the secret ingredient to making these cookies aka the best cookies ever…
Here’s What You Need:
tahini
maple syrup
cinnamon and sea salt
ground flaxseed
baking soda
vanilla extract
unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
dark chocolate chips
coconut flour
Grain-Free, Gluten-Free & Vegan
They’re made with all wholesome ingredients (maple syrup, unsweetened coconut, dark chocolate) and they’re a great option for folks with special dietary needs because they’re gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free and vegan. I’ve pretty much got all your bases covered.
How to Make Tahini Cookies
The best part of these tahini cookies? They’re a cinch to whip up. There’s no flour to measure and you only need one mixing bowl a.k.a. less dishes to wash. Score!
The one extra little thing that you have to do is toast your coconut. I know it’s an additional step but you simply must do it. The coconut gets brown, a little crunchy and it adds a nice roasty and toasty flavor to the cookies. Totally worth the 1-3 minutes it will take.
If you make these tahini chocolate chip cookies, please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how they turned out. Your feedback is so helpful for the EBF team and other EBF readers.
These chocolate chip tahini cookies pack a nutritional punch with fiber, healthy fats and protein, plus they’re vegan & gluten-free!
Ingredients
1 cup tahini
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 Tablespoons water (or 1 egg)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons coconut flour
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut flakes (optional)
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips
flaked sea salt, for topping (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray.
Combine ground flaxseed with water in a small bowl and set aside for 5-10 minutes or until thick and gelatinous.
If you’re adding coconut flakes in the recipe preheat a sauté pan to medium heat. Add the coconut flakes and stir constantly until they turn a golden color (this will take about 1-3 minutes). Remove them from the pan and allow to cool. This step is optional, but highly recommended.
Once the flaxseed mixture has setup, use a medium size mixing bowl to combine tahini, maple syrup, flaxseed mixture, seeds (if using), cinnamon, sea salt, baking soda and vanilla. Stir together until everything is incorporated.
Fold in coconut flour, toasted shredded coconut (if using) and dark chocolate chips.
Scoop out the cookie batter using a small/medium cooking scoop or Tablespoon and place on baking sheet giving about 1½ inches between each cookie. Sprinkle a few sea salt flakes on cookies, if using.
Bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
Remove from oven to cool on the pan at least 15 minutes before touching or removing. Enjoy right away or store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.
I made these cookies yesterday, omg, they are sooo good! 😋I followed your recipe except for the flaxseed, I used an egg🥚.They came out crunchy on the outside and chewy in the inside! Oh and I used the coconut flakes, delicious! Thank you Brittany for this recipe!🥰
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Laura! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies. Thanks for trying them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate it!
Delightful and tasty cookie! While these cookies are not overly sweet, they certainly satisfy a sweet tooth craving!! 🙂 A perfect substitute for the traditional chocolate chip cookie.
Staying true to the recipe, my cookie dough was thick and sticky, which held up when I scooped each cookie onto my baking stone.
To those who have noted their cookies came out flat, I would suggest making sure your tahini is completely mixed in it’s container before you measure it out. Tahini tends to separate, like organic nut butter, which result in a paste that sinks to the bottom of the jar and thick oil resting on top of the paste. If the tahini is properly mixed before baking with, I believe the cookie batter will hold together and rise more successfully. Happy baking!
So glad you enjoyed these cookies, Amanda!! Thanks so much for trying them and for coming back to leave a comment. It’s super helpful for future readers. 🙂
I’m a huge fan of cookies. I make cookies every weekend. Last week, I found this recipe on my friend’s facebook timeline, and I decided to make these cookies in order to give my aunt. And you know what, the taste was really irresistible!!! My aunt was so impressed by these cookies I made. I was so happy. Thank you so much!
EBF has the best recipes! So much inspo cuz i cook very similarly and this cookie recipe takes win! OMFG I could eat this cookie dough without baking. So Soo good!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Marie-Anne! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies. 🙂 Thanks for trying them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me!
Hey Teresa – Oh no!! So sorry to hear that. Did your batter seem super runny to you? If your tahini was extra runny you might have needed a bit more flour.
Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies are absolute PERFECTION! Made them last night & I was blown away; glad I ordered 2 jars of tahini. These are a seriously HUGE win, Brittany! Thank you so much!
Ahh yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Jennifer. As always, thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate you. 🙂
SO delicious! I was a little incredulous because the ratios seemed wild (mostly tahini), but it’s like magic seeing the mixture turn into the perfect cookie dough. It tastes amazing, the perfect balance of sweet and nutty. The cookies are fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside, and the dough was so good that I saved half to add as an ice cream topper.
I love the nutritional profile on these, I’m not vegan/ paleo, but to have such a delicious food (that tastes nothing like a health food) with a bunch of iron and omega 3/6s makes this a staple for me. Can’t wait to make again.
Ahh this makes me so happy to hear, Nathalie! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies! Thanks for trying them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Yay!! I’m so glad you’re a fan of these cookies, Samantha. Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it!
Yay!! I’m so glad these cookies turned out for you! Thanks for trying them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
Hey Chana – I pinged you on IG, but sorry again for the confusion of the video. I took it down so others don’t get confused! The cook time should be 17-20 minutes depending on the size you make them and your oven temp and if you want to add chia seeds in you can just mix them in when you add the tahini, flaxseed eggs, etc. 🙂
Amazing cookies! They are just perfect, my son and husband love them too! The best part is that I have an entire bag of coconut flour and I never know what to do with it, most of the recipes I have done including it were too dense, which isn’t the case for these heavenly cookies. Thanks a lot!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Marie-Helene!! I’m so glad these cookies were a hit with your family. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
Ahh yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Katie. Thanks for giving them a shot and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. 🙂
If I wanted to use regular flour, how much would I use? To clarify, can I use a single egg instead of the flaxseed/water combo? Thank you for your advice. I’m looking forward to making this tomorrow on a lazy Sunday afternoon!
Yes, you can use 1 egg instead of the flaxseed egg. You don’t need a ton of flour, it’s mainly to be used if your tahini sauce is runny. I would add 1 Tablespoon of regular flour at a time if the batter seems a bit runny until you reach a good consistency. But if your tahini sauce is thicker you might not even need to add in flour. Let me know how the cookies turn out for you!
I am making this with a group of students and am wondering if I could sub tahini for something else and what would work best. There aren’t very many good tahini suppliers near by!
I’ve only ever made them with tahini so I’m not sure what would work as a sub but I’m thinking some sort of nut butter might work. Maybe try almond butter?
yum, I just licked the mixing bowl clean! They’ve just cooled enough to eat, and I think they are pretty good! I might try some cranberries and pumpkin seeds instead of choc chips next time. Only difference i made in the recipe is that I had shredded sweetened coconut instead of flaked. I think it helped the body of the cookie. thanks!
It was Ziyad brand, and not any more liquidy than normal (at least not more than any of the other brands I’ve bought). I’ll try again and maybe refrigerate the dough to let it harden up a bit and/or add oats!
This recipe completely caught my eye, and I couldn’t wait to make them! However, the dough was very liquid-y for me, too. (I just didn’t have the idea for oats like the other commenter.) Do you have any troubleshooting ideas for next time?
The cookies taste great; they just spread a lot while baking so they are very thin and baked in about 14 minutes.
I just made these cookies and they turned out amaaaaazing! I was a little apprehensive about the tahini but it worked. I’d recommend this to anyone! Thank you so much for sharing! Looking forward to more recipes! 🙂
Yay! So happy that they turned out and that you like them. It’s hard to be believe that there’s no flour and just tahini, right? I brought them to a cookout over the weekend and everyone was shocked.
I am all about the crunch and I especially like the crunch on muffin tops as well! Can’t wait to see if you are able to discover that technique to getting a crunchy muffin top. Keep us posted! 🙂
My batter is total liquid! My tahini was really thin, so it was probably that. I just added some oats to soak a little and I’m sure they will be great! Was your tahini liquidy?
Oh no! My jar of tahini was new so there was a lot of oil on top. Once it was mixed in, it was thicker. I hope the cookies turned out okay with the oats.
Hi Brittany, do you know if these will work without coconut? My boyfriend is allergic. Is it possible to substitute with almonds or pecans? Btw, I love your blog. It’s one of the few I follow because you post great content consistently.
I’m not 100% sure how they would work without the coconut flakes as I haven’t tried it. The flakes add a nice flavor and texture, but I don’t think they’re essential for the recipe to work. You could probably sub in almonds or just leave the coconut out. Let me know if you try it!
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I made these cookies yesterday, omg, they are sooo good! 😋I followed your recipe except for the flaxseed, I used an egg🥚.They came out crunchy on the outside and chewy in the inside! Oh and I used the coconut flakes, delicious! Thank you Brittany for this recipe!🥰
★★★★★
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Laura! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies. Thanks for trying them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate it!
Delightful and tasty cookie! While these cookies are not overly sweet, they certainly satisfy a sweet tooth craving!! 🙂 A perfect substitute for the traditional chocolate chip cookie.
Staying true to the recipe, my cookie dough was thick and sticky, which held up when I scooped each cookie onto my baking stone.
To those who have noted their cookies came out flat, I would suggest making sure your tahini is completely mixed in it’s container before you measure it out. Tahini tends to separate, like organic nut butter, which result in a paste that sinks to the bottom of the jar and thick oil resting on top of the paste. If the tahini is properly mixed before baking with, I believe the cookie batter will hold together and rise more successfully. Happy baking!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed these cookies, Amanda!! Thanks so much for trying them and for coming back to leave a comment. It’s super helpful for future readers. 🙂
What if the coconut flakes I have are already unsweetened and toasted?
Then I’d just skip toasting them and add them straight to the batter! 🙂
Hi, can you sub cocnut sugar for maple syrup?
I haven’t tried using coconut sugar instead of the maple syrup, but I think it should work just fine. Let me know if you try it!
I’m a huge fan of cookies. I make cookies every weekend. Last week, I found this recipe on my friend’s facebook timeline, and I decided to make these cookies in order to give my aunt. And you know what, the taste was really irresistible!!! My aunt was so impressed by these cookies I made. I was so happy. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
EBF has the best recipes! So much inspo cuz i cook very similarly and this cookie recipe takes win! OMFG I could eat this cookie dough without baking. So Soo good!
★★★★★
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Marie-Anne! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies. 🙂 Thanks for trying them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me!
These are delish!! Tahini is so amazing in baked goods! Definitely will make them again!
★★★★★
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Erica. I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment and star rating. <3
Great taste, but mine came out flat. I used an egg instead of flaxseed. Should I have added more coconut flour?
Hey Teresa – Oh no!! So sorry to hear that. Did your batter seem super runny to you? If your tahini was extra runny you might have needed a bit more flour.
Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies are absolute PERFECTION! Made them last night & I was blown away; glad I ordered 2 jars of tahini. These are a seriously HUGE win, Brittany! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Ahh yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Jennifer. As always, thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate you. 🙂
These cookies look absolutely fantastic and I am loving the list of ingredients here. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed these cookies, Katerina!! Thanks for trying them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
SO delicious! I was a little incredulous because the ratios seemed wild (mostly tahini), but it’s like magic seeing the mixture turn into the perfect cookie dough. It tastes amazing, the perfect balance of sweet and nutty. The cookies are fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside, and the dough was so good that I saved half to add as an ice cream topper.
I love the nutritional profile on these, I’m not vegan/ paleo, but to have such a delicious food (that tastes nothing like a health food) with a bunch of iron and omega 3/6s makes this a staple for me. Can’t wait to make again.
★★★★★
Ahh this makes me so happy to hear, Nathalie! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies! Thanks for trying them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Love these cookies! They’re so tasty! with the crunch factor on the outside mixed with the soft center – just how I like my cookies!
★★★★★
Yay!! I’m so glad you’re a fan of these cookies, Samantha. Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it!
Good to know that works too! It was perfect the first time. I learn so much from you as well! Wow great post.
★★★★★
Yay!! I’m so glad these cookies turned out for you! Thanks for trying them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
Is it possible that the cook time is wrong? My cookies burned at 20 minutes. Also, when do u add in chia seeds?
★★★
Hey Chana – I pinged you on IG, but sorry again for the confusion of the video. I took it down so others don’t get confused! The cook time should be 17-20 minutes depending on the size you make them and your oven temp and if you want to add chia seeds in you can just mix them in when you add the tahini, flaxseed eggs, etc. 🙂
Amazing cookies! They are just perfect, my son and husband love them too! The best part is that I have an entire bag of coconut flour and I never know what to do with it, most of the recipes I have done including it were too dense, which isn’t the case for these heavenly cookies. Thanks a lot!
★★★★★
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Marie-Helene!! I’m so glad these cookies were a hit with your family. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
Have never tried Tahini before, was unsure as I tasted the batter but was pleasantly surprised after baking!
★★★★★
Ahh yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Katie. Thanks for giving them a shot and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. 🙂
It is my favourite recipe, I make it every week ! They are so delicious and crunchy. Thank you so much !
★★★★★
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Katy!! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me! <3
If I wanted to use regular flour, how much would I use? To clarify, can I use a single egg instead of the flaxseed/water combo? Thank you for your advice. I’m looking forward to making this tomorrow on a lazy Sunday afternoon!
★★★
Yes, you can use 1 egg instead of the flaxseed egg. You don’t need a ton of flour, it’s mainly to be used if your tahini sauce is runny. I would add 1 Tablespoon of regular flour at a time if the batter seems a bit runny until you reach a good consistency. But if your tahini sauce is thicker you might not even need to add in flour. Let me know how the cookies turn out for you!
These were incredible. Without a doubt the best cookies I have ever had. Crispy, gooey and just perfect!
Ahhh! This comment just made my day, Avery. So glad you liked the cookies. They’re a fav over here too!
I am making this with a group of students and am wondering if I could sub tahini for something else and what would work best. There aren’t very many good tahini suppliers near by!
I’ve only ever made them with tahini so I’m not sure what would work as a sub but I’m thinking some sort of nut butter might work. Maybe try almond butter?
yum, I just licked the mixing bowl clean! They’ve just cooled enough to eat, and I think they are pretty good! I might try some cranberries and pumpkin seeds instead of choc chips next time. Only difference i made in the recipe is that I had shredded sweetened coconut instead of flaked. I think it helped the body of the cookie. thanks!
These look DELISH!!
What about a substitute for Tahini?
You could try a nut butter like peanut butter, cashew butter or almond butter but I haven’t tested it so I’m not 100% sure how it will turn out!
It was Ziyad brand, and not any more liquidy than normal (at least not more than any of the other brands I’ve bought). I’ll try again and maybe refrigerate the dough to let it harden up a bit and/or add oats!
This recipe completely caught my eye, and I couldn’t wait to make them! However, the dough was very liquid-y for me, too. (I just didn’t have the idea for oats like the other commenter.) Do you have any troubleshooting ideas for next time?
The cookies taste great; they just spread a lot while baking so they are very thin and baked in about 14 minutes.
I had the same issue. I added about 1/3 cup almond flour and they were perfect.
Oh boo! Was your tahini really liquidy? What type did you use?
I just made these cookies and they turned out amaaaaazing! I was a little apprehensive about the tahini but it worked. I’d recommend this to anyone! Thank you so much for sharing! Looking forward to more recipes! 🙂
Yay! So happy that they turned out and that you like them. It’s hard to be believe that there’s no flour and just tahini, right? I brought them to a cookout over the weekend and everyone was shocked.
would this recipe work with ground chia seed??
Yes, I think so!
Oh my… these look delish! I want to come be your taste-tester one of these days!
Emma
I am all about the crunch and I especially like the crunch on muffin tops as well! Can’t wait to see if you are able to discover that technique to getting a crunchy muffin top. Keep us posted! 🙂
Wow! These are so cool! Packed with seeds, love it 🙂 Pinning!
Oh my gosh, these sound amazing! Definitely pinning, tweeting, and saving for later! 🙂 Happy Memorial Day!
Thanks so much Angela. Happy Memorial Day to you as well!
My batter is total liquid! My tahini was really thin, so it was probably that. I just added some oats to soak a little and I’m sure they will be great! Was your tahini liquidy?
Oh no! My jar of tahini was new so there was a lot of oil on top. Once it was mixed in, it was thicker. I hope the cookies turned out okay with the oats.
Hi 🙂 can you share the brand of tahini did you used? I have tried tahini cookie recipes with various types of tahini-makes a huge difference!
Some of my favorite brands are the one from Whole Foods, Artisana and Once Again. 🙂
These look so good. I bet they’d be great in the afternoon with a cup of tea to give you a pick me up.
Wow. these look and sound delicious, definitely going to have to give these a try at some point!
Laughing out loud at the Phish lot reference. These look just as good as goo-balls 😉
These look great! Have you tried them with a whole egg?
I haven’t, but you could replace the flaxseed egg with a regular egg if you’d like.
Hi Brittany, do you know if these will work without coconut? My boyfriend is allergic. Is it possible to substitute with almonds or pecans? Btw, I love your blog. It’s one of the few I follow because you post great content consistently.
Aww. Thank you lady!
I’m not 100% sure how they would work without the coconut flakes as I haven’t tried it. The flakes add a nice flavor and texture, but I don’t think they’re essential for the recipe to work. You could probably sub in almonds or just leave the coconut out. Let me know if you try it!
Oh girl, no dissing here! Just saying that these cookies aren’t the special cookies you’d find at that type of event.
Cookies look wonderful-I will try this idea. Hey-no dissin Phish phans.
These look so good, Brittany!! I’ll definitely be trying these out 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I can’t believe I actually have all the ingredients in my house. I’ll make these this weekend for sure!