Update: This recipe has been so popular that I updated to make it even better and I also included it in my new cookbook The Joyous Cookbook! If you haven't tried them yet - this is the perfect treat to bring to your next party or family get together.
Have you tried tahini before? If not, you've likely had sesame seeds. Well it's the same thing -- essentially paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds. In fact, you can make it yourself by tossing a cup or two of sesame seeds into a super high power food processor and after a minute or so, tahini!
I love the taste of it. It has a nutty taste similar to peanut butter but much more mild. Most people think of tahini in savoury recipes like hummus or in delicious Lebanese food. I love using tahini that way too, but I also LOVE tahini in recipes that are sweeter. It's great if you need to avoid nuts in your home due to an allergy or if you just want to mix things up a bit! And it's a great source of non-dairy calcium -- your bones will thank you. More on that below...
I like the Nuts To You brand. It's a Canadian company and you can find them in the natural foods section of pretty much every grocery store (in Canada at least) and in health food stores. For my American friends, you can find it on Amazon, but I'm sure there are other delicious brands of tahini.
These cookies reminded me of peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies but they are egg-free, dairy-free, vegan-friendly and you can make them truly gluten-free with gluten-free oats -- if that's important to you. I just use regular oats.
I adapted this recipe from an older post from 2013 for Ginger Tahini Bites with quite a few modifications. You can find out why oats are so gosh darn good for you in that post too! I used less maple syrup, nixed the ginger and sunflower seeds and added cinnamon and mini-chocolate chips instead. This recipe won't work with regular size chocolate chips because they will be too chunky and fall apart.
They are chewy and soft straight out of the oven but don't remain super soft once totally cooled. They remain chewy though -- hurray!
Desserts
Chewy Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies
Print
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp tahini paste
- 1/4 tsp of sea salt
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup real maple syrup*
- 1-1/2 cups oats (I used Oak Manor "oat flakes")
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Stir together until fully combined. Make sure the tahini is evenly spread throughout the cookies.
- Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
- Drop 1 tbsp spoonfuls onto baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool slightly then transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
*I went with 1/3 cup maple syrup because I added the chocolate chips. I would suggest adding 1/3 cup first and giving them a taste test. If they are not sweet enough for you, then use 1/2 cup. I used the ENJOY Life brand of mini chocolate chips because they are dairy-free and gluten-free. I personally find that cow's milk dairy in chocolate bothers me (makes my wrists achey due to inflammation).
They will seem a bit crumbly when you put them on your baking sheet, don't worry they solidify nicely when they are cooked.
By the way, people always ask me where I get my pretty plates from. I find the most inexpensive places are either garage sales or budget-friendly shops like Homesense and Winners. In fact, Homesense always has a shelf or two somewhere in the store of super discounted items. I bought a few plates today and one of them was only three bucks and it's gorgeous! I was due for some new plates because a few of mine have chipped over the years and are no longer photo-worthy.
Before I go, I wanted to share my handy dandy chart with you of non-dairy sources of calcium. Thanks (sarcasm intended) to the lobbying of the dairy industry with our government it's been drilled in our heads that the only source of calcium is dairy products. This is just total bologna!
While dairy is an excellent source of calcium, you can definitely get enough of this important mineral without slurping cow's milk. The key is to eat a variety of foods. If you have a mono-diet of eating the same foods every day and don't eat dairy, you are likely NOT getting enough calcium. A variety of whole foods is the way to go because they you get a variety of other nutrients that help with the absorption of calcium like magnesium, vitamin D and K.
I hope you love this cookie recipe. Be sure to hashtag #JoyousHealth if you make them and post a pretty photo to instagram or twitter because then I will see it! :)
Have a joyous day!
Joy
ps. If you like cookies as much as I do, then here's a link to all my cookie recipes on JH: http://www.joyoushealth.com/?s=cookies&post_type=&filter=#search-container
pps. I was interviewed by CNN (so cool!) on Reasons You Should Learn to Cook.
Very helpful post. keep it up.
ReplyHi Joy! These are great. I love healthy cookies as a morning snack and I LOVE tahini. I made these little cookies with raw tahini and raisins instead of chocolate because I had some at home. They made my kitchen smell amazing!
ReplyI have a severe nut allergy and i'm always looking for nut free healthy recipes and this is a great idea!! Thanks so much:) www.westingwellness.com
ReplyI made these for the family on Sunday. They were gone .so good . Everyone loved them.
ReplyGlad to hear they were a success! Kate - Joyous Health Team
I made these last night and they were excellent! The only issue I had was that I found it very difficult to mold into cookies. It was a very sticky batter. Besides that, they were a big hit. Thank you!
ReplyTry using a small ice cream scoop, it worked great for me!
Thanks for this recipe, I just made them and they went down a treat even with my youngest son who is a very fussy eater, thanks Joy
ReplyGlad to hear they were a success! Kate - Joyous Health Team
I have to try these! they look so yummy :D
ReplyWe LOVED these cookies, tasted great plus they were so easy & quick to make! I used 2 tbsp of almond butter and 4 tbsp of tahini.
ReplyHaving had delicious black sesame gelato, I love the idea of tahini desserts, but I just wonder - doesn't the tahini taste bitter? Seems like there are a lot of desserts out there with tahini and I always wonder if the creators of the recipes don't experience tahini as bitter, or if they found a specific kind that just isn't as bitter as the rest. I see you recommend a specific brand, and I'm wondering is that brand not bitter, or is tahini just not bitter to you? The black sesame gelato wasn't bitter, but also didn't taste a bit like tahini. More nutty - like a smooth, almost smokey peanut butter... What's your experience?
ReplyBlack sesame gelato is soooo yummy! Thanks for reminding me. :) I don't personally find tahini bitter and that's the first time I've heard anyone mention that before. Maybe try a different brand and see if it has the same effect. Or buy some sesame seeds and make it yourself in a food processor? Hope that helps!
I never knew tahini can be used in baking! This is very interesting! I'm love tahini and hummus, they're very delicious and healthy! I'll ask my wife to make this for me, thank you for sharing this recipe!
ReplyHello there!! Just thought I should let you know that I just finished making your recipe for Chewy Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies. WOW, WOW, WOW, are these ever easy AND yummy!!!! Even licking the sticky batter from my fingers, once I was done placing the cookie dough on the baking pan, was so good!!!! 1 cup oats and 1/2 cup coconut flakes is the only thing I changed, and only because I had some coconut to use up. Thought I would try it, and it worked out fine!!! I'll send you a picture in a few minutes. Thank you so much for this super simple, but oh so yummy treat!!! All the best, Monique Robinson
ReplyHi Monique, Awesome swap! If you could please send the photo to [email protected], I'll make sure it gets to Joy. She always loves seeing photos of people making her recipes their own! Kate - Joyous Health Team
Just made these with pumpkin seed butter because my jar of tahini was almost empty. They are so delicious! I will definitely be making again (with either seed butter!).
ReplyHi Joy! I Made these cookies today and they are absolutely fantastic - so quick and easy with just one bowl and minimal cleanup. I wonder if you've tried making these with other "butters" (almond, cashew, hazelnut)? Cheers, Candace
ReplyYes totally! I have made them with almond butter and also sunflower seed butter -- equally as delicious!
Hi made these with almond butter, absolutely delicious! Just wondering how long they will keep for? x
ReplyHey Amy! So glad you liked them. They should last 5-7+ days when stored in an airtight container but you can always freeze them for use later! Enjoy :) Heather- Joyous Health team
These are probably my all-time favorite gluten-free cookies. Thanks for the delicious, simple, quick recipe!
ReplyI've made this recipe three times with similar frustrating results. The batter is so crumbly and difficult to mold into cookies. I always second guess myself, thinking I've missed a wet ingredient, but no. Any tips?
ReplyHey Evelyn, Sorry to hear this :( That's frustrating. I'm thinking it could be your tahini. Do you keep it in the fridge or cupboard? It's best to keep it in the fridge to maintain it's freshness but it can give it a hard consistency. I would recommend using a fresh jar of tahini so it's still smooth or letting the tahini sit out for a bit before using it. Hope that helps! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
These are awesome! Super easy to make and already had everything on hand. Next time I think I'll add raisins too :-)
ReplyHi Amy! Glad you love them!
Hi There I can't have oats but love how simple the recipe is! What can I substitute instead of the oats to get the same consistency in this recipe?! Please let me know
ReplyHey Amanda! Are you able to tolerate quinoa flakes? That might be a good alternative :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Hi There Thank you so much for your reply. Would this be a 1:1 equal substitution for quoina flakes to oats?
Hi There Thank you for the reply. Are the quinoa flakes a 1:1 substitute for the oats?
ReplyHey Amanda! Sorry, I'm not sure how your comment was missed. We haven't tried it, but that should be okay! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Do you know the Nutrition facts?
ReplyHi Moishy,
We don't have any quantitative nutrition facts as we encourage people to look at food from a qualitative perspective aka the nutritional properties it provides. You can trust that since these cookies are packed with fibre and healthy fats from the oats and tahini, they won't spike your blood sugar like a normal cookie would and will keep your mood and energy levels in check :)
Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Made these last night. I have to admit the batter was a bit hard to work with, very sticky and hard to shape into cookie form. However, I did manage somehow and with what I could no longer roll, I just threw the crumbs onto the baking sheet. These crumbs made the most amazing granola!!! For next time I will try adding a bit of coconut oil, hopefully that will help a bit with the forming of cookies, although I will be using the unaltered recipe as granola - so simple and quick!
ReplyHi Ania, with this recipe, you don't need to worry about what it looks like because once you spoon it on to your baking sheet, it will bake nicely! However, I wonder if maybe your tahini was dry since you felt you needed to add coconut oil. I've made these cookies dozens of times and that's the only thing I can think of why it might have felt dry. Granola sounds yummy!
Oak Manor oats! So cool. I know the family. My daughter goes to school with the grandson. Oak Manor is in Tavistock, Ontario.
ReplyOh neat! That's the brand I use all the time!
This is my favourite cookie recipe - easy to put together and delicious! Sometimes I swap out the cinnamon for ground ginger (suggested by Joy) - both are tasty versions.
ReplyLove that you do that swap too! So yummy!
I’m looking to get some calcium in my 7 year old daughters diet so these suggestions are super helpful as she gets growing pains/leg cramps . She doesn’t drink cows milk but almond. I already give her liquid calcium \ magnesium supplement and mini calcium absorber pills and electrolights drops from the Heath food store. But I want her to eat it too in foods. She doesn’t eat greens yet. Raw veggies yes. So I think that will help. She doesn’t like any sauces or dressings, so salad with dressing is not a thing right now so I was just going to give her lettuce with salt and cucumbers as she likes those. Or maybe increasing her steamed broccoli would help. She likes that already. I’m a look ways looking for ideas.
ReplySounds like you're doing everything right! My daughter is very similar! Mg is definitely helpful for those growing pains. Hope that helps!
Con I use Bob’s rolled oats in the choc chip tahini oat cookie recipe?
ReplyI don't see why not?
I cannot stop eating these - they are sooo addictive.
ReplyOh don't I know! LOL