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. These are one of my favorite 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 – crunchy around the edges and chewy in the center. Perfection.
What’s The Deal With Tahini?
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. It adds an amazing flavor and texture to baked goods and is the secret ingredient to making these cookies the best cookies ever…
Here’s What You Need:
tahini
maple syrup
seeds – flaxseed, chia seeds and poppy seeds
cinnamon and sea salt
baking soda
vanilla extract
unsweetened coconut flakes
dark chocolate chips
coconut flour
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.
To make up for the lack of gluten, nuts and dairy, the cookies are filled with seeds that pack a nutritional punch. I will say that this was a hard recipe to come up with a title for. Once it was decided that “Best Cookies Ever” wasn’t descriptive enough, I tossed around the idea of naming them “Bird Food Cookies” or “Seedy Cookies.” Neither made it past the brainstorming session.
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.
Like This Recipe? Here Are More Delicious Cookie Recipes to Try:
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)
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons coconut flour
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips
flaked sea salt and sesame seeds, for topping (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a well seasoned baking stone.
Combine ground flaxseed with water in a small bowl and set aside for 5-10 minutes or until thick and gelatinous.
Preheat a sauté pan to medium heat. Add coconut flakes and stir constantly until they turn a golden color (this will take about 1-3 minutes). Remove the coconut flakes from the pan and allow to cool. This step is optional.
Once the flaxseed mixture has setup, use a medium size mixing bowl to combine tahini, maple syrup, flaxseed mixture, chia seeds, poppy seeds (if using), cinnamon, sea salt, baking soda and vanilla. Stir together until everything is incorporated.
Fold in coconut flour, toasted coconut flakes (if using) and dark chocolate chips.
Scoop out the cookie batter using a cooking scoop or Tablespoon and place on baking sheet giving about 11/2 inches between each cookie.
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
Remove from oven to cool. Sprinkle a few sea salt flakes and sesame seeds (if using) on top of each cookie and then allow the cookies to cool on the pan at least 15 minutes before touching or removing. Enjoy right away or store in an air-tight container.
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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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.
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!