Soft, chewy and downright delicious, these vegan Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies are just like traditional chocolate chip cookies but with the subtle nuttiness of tahini and the goodness of whole wheat flour.
I've updated this recipe to make it even simpler. Just mix and bake.
Things to Love About These Vegan Cookies
I love my peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe but this tahini cookie is fast becoming a house favourite. And it's nut free so the kids can take it to school. Win.
I am so chuffed with this new and improved recipe. After much testing on my family, I'm happy to say these cookies are:
- simpler and faster to make, just mix and bake - no creaming or sifting!
- vegan
- fuss-free with no funny ingredients
- freezable
- reliable! we have tested and tested and tested this recipe again
- nut-free making it perfect for anyone with allergies
- so delicious.
What is Tahini?
So, if you haven't come across it before, tahini is a thick and creamy paste that appears a tonne in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. It's made by grinding either toasted hulled or un-hulled sesame seeds. Think "natural peanut butter but without the nuts."
Un-hulled tahini uses the whole sesame seed while hulled tahini uses sesame seeds with the outer shell removed. Hulled tahini is creamier but it is not as nutritiously dense as the un-hulled variety.
If you've eaten hummus, chances are it was made with tahini. However, tahini is also really great in sweet recipes too. I use it in my black bean brownies with tahini caramel and it's so delicious. Tahini gives sweet recipes depth with a hint of nuttiness.
If have tried tahini and didn’t like it, it may be that you tried bad tahini. Good tahini is super creamy with a slightly nutty taste. Bad tahini is dry and bitter - unfortunately you may come across some bad ones before you find a good brand. It's like kissing boys; it might take a few goes to find the right one.
OK, so let's make cookies.
What You'll Need | Ingredients
Tahini. a good runny tahini works best in this recipe. Give your tahini a good stir before adding it to the recipe. I prefer a hulled tahini to unhulled for these cookies. It's less bitter.
Whole Wheat Flour. I wanted to flag here that I used whole wheat (or wholemeal) flour in this recipe because it adds a gorgeous nutty flavour and is better for you than regular flour.
I also use whole wheat flour in The Best Classic Chocolate Cake recipe. It's just so good. You can use all-purpose flour - you will need to add a quarter more to the measurement (that works out to 1.56 cups).
Cornstarch. Cornstarch (corn flour in Australia) helps to bind these cookies and creates a chewier bite. We are going to mix it in with our milk and add it to the wet ingredients.
Vegan Butter. I am using vegan butter for this recipe (mainly because it's something most of us have on hand all the time). If you would prefer to use coconut oil, use the same amount and make sure you allow it cool properly before adding it.
Dairy-free Milk: I have tested this recipe with soy, oat and almond milk. Any of these will work.
How To Make The Easiest Chocolate Chip Cookies
You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients, other than the sugar and chocolate chunks, in a large mixing bowl. Combine the cornflour and milk in a small bowl. Add it to a larger bowl with the melted (and cooled) butter, vanilla, tahini and sugars.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until almost combined.
Steps 3 and 4: Adding the chocolate chunks. Mix until combined, cover and pop in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (356 degrees F). Line a baking tray with a silicon mat or baking paper and scoop the dough - I use a 1 tablespoon ice-cream scoop - placing each ball at least 2 inches apart (note: the image below is to show the size of the cookie dough balls, not the correct distance apart).
Step 5: Bake a tray of cookies, one at a time, for 14 minutes. Pop the remaining dough back in to the fridge while you bake.
Step 6: Remove the cookies to cool for at least 15-minutes before serving removing them from the tray. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough or freeze it for another time (see instructions below in the FAQs section).
Pro Tips To Making Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Tip 1: As with any baking, weighing your ingredients will give you the moist consistent results. I've given you both cup and dry ingredient weights.
Tip 2: Allow your melted butter to cool before adding it. If you are substituting in coconut oil, this is especially true. Warm butter or coconut oil can give you a greasy dough.
Tip 3: Take the time to chill the cookie dough for best results. Chilling the dough enhances the cookie's flavour. The longer you can chill, the better. Chilling also makes handling the dough easier and prevents the cookie from spreading too quickly in the oven.
Tip 4: For ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies, use chopped chocolate rather than chocolate buds. Chocolate buds are designed to maintain their shape - they are made with stabilisers and wax - and if that's what you want, perfect. If you want ooey-gooey, then chop up a vegan chocolate bar.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can freeze the unbaked cookie dough. Roll the dough into balls and freeze them on a lined tray for an hour before transferring them to a container or freezer bag. You can bake the dough from frozen. Set your oven and bake them for 15-17 minutes.
You can also freeze baked cookies. Allow them to cool completely and them freeze them stacked with a square of baking paper between each cookie. Wrap the stack in foil to freeze. To thaw, transfer the cookies to the fridge for a day. Warm the thawed cookies in the oven at 176 degrees C (350 degrees F) for a few minutes.
You can. Substitute the whole flour for gluten-free flour and make sure to use gluten-free baking powder.
Fresh from the oven with the intoxicating aroma of tahini, chocolate and baked cookie hanging in the air, the hover factor was strong in this one, friends.
Enjoy, x.
Looking for more baking recipes? Try these vegan goodies.
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Make This Recipe
Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 and ¼ cups / 200g wholewheat flour spooned and levelled
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp / 60ml soy milk or oat milk
- ⅓ cup / 80g vegan butter (or coconut oil) melted and cooled
- ½ cup / 105g brown sugar firmly packed
- ⅓ cup / 75g raw granulated sugar
- ½ cup / 125ml / tahini
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200 g / 7 ounces vegan chocolate roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder, and salt.
- In a small bowl, stir the cornflour and milk together. Add it to a mixing bowl withg the melted (and cooled) melted butter, brown and granulated sugar, tahini and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together until almost combined. Stir in the chocolate chunks and stir until combined.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. This will firm up the dough making it easier to handle, enhance the flavours and create a chewier baked cookie.
- Preheat the oven to 180° C (356° F) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Using an ice-cream scoop or your hands, roll a heaped tablespoon of the refrigerated dough in to a rough ball and lay 6 to 8 balls on your baking tray (depending on its size) and pop in the oven for 13 minutes - 16 minutes.
- Remove the baked cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 15-minutes (they will deflate and crack beautifully during this time) before gently setting them aside to continue baking the remaining dough.
- Roll and bake the remaining dough. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Lou Lu says
Fantastic recipe! I cooked mine slightly longer because I love a crispy cookie. These taste fabulous and last very well (I did make more than one batch to help with their lasting power. ) They don’t go soggy over time like lots of other vegan cookies. The flavour of the tahini, alongside wholewheat flour and all that chocolate makes for a superb cookie. Thanks Amanda.
Amanda says
Amazing Lou Lu! Thanks very much for reaching out and letting me now - I am chuffed and so happy you enjoyed them x Thanks again
Sinead says
Made these using extra tahini instead of the butter/oil (lazy me was not going to go out in the rain and buy the missing ingredients, but I did have a *giant* jar of tahini on hand - the super smooth runny oily kind from a middle eastern store, not the thick and often chunky kind from a health-food store). It worked wonderfully! Since I loooooove tahini, the extra tahini-ness was a bonus feature as well. These go shockingly well with coffee, by the way.
Amanda says
I love everything about this comment, Sinead. I am so happy that firstly, you like the cookies, secondly, you were able to adapt them to suit you and thirdly, they rock with coffee. Coffee is my nectar. Thank you! x
Kat Varcoe-Cocks says
Hi Amanda - I love the new logo and 'story' vibe of your website.
I'm keen to cook these - homeschooling take two and i'm trying to have real wholefood good snacks for the boys to have while we're home so much.
I'll let you know how they go and how they go down!!
Kat x
Afsana Hye says
Just made these! They came out amazing!!!! Thank you for the recipe
Susan says
My first time using aquafaba. I love it! I didn't add the olive oil as my tahini seemed very oily even though I stirred it thoroughly. In fact, the dough was oily, so I added a little more flour. I also used whole wheat pastry flour. I used to make these when I wasn't a vegan, so I'm pleased to find a way to continue making them. I added a little maldon salt at the end on top of the cookies.
Michelle says
These look so good Amanda! I've always been a little rubbish at baking, especially vegan baking but I have to say I've tried so many of your recipes now and they all work. Thank you so much for making your recipes 100% foolproof, especially for rubbish bakers like me! Much love my lovely friend Xxx
Amanda says
Thank you, my friend. I am always so proud of myself when I bake something. It's like a big achievement for me!