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Healthier, but oh so delicious, Salted Tahini Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are some of the best cookies…rich and decadent, but slightly healthier too. Made with almond flour and honey and lightly sweetened for a cookie that’s just a touch healthier. Every bite is slightly crisp on the edges, but soft and chewy in the center. So DELICIOUS. Absolutely nothing not to love about these salty, sweet tahini cookies. Bonus? These cookies are easy to make, use simple ingredients, and are gluten-free too.
Cookies to end the first full week of 2021! As I said on Tuesday, I’m a firm believer that January still needs chocolate. And to be very honest, with a world like the one we live in today, we ALL need a dam cookie. We do!
So, here we are. Cookies on Friday. But these cookies are extra special.
Yes, they’re DELICIOUS. And I really mean delicious, but what’s even better? They’re made on the healthier side with very little added sugars and a mix of almond and coconut flour to create a cookie that’s soft, chewy, and like none you’ve ever had before.
And the tahini? That’s the special ingredient that MAKES these cookies. It’s not that you really even know it’s there. But it adds a richness, butteriness, and nuttiness that’s truly something special. I sound like a cheese ball, I know, but my words ring true.
The quick story
Here’s the deal, I am not a health food recipe developer. And I don’t usually seek out to create desserts that would be considered healthy. BUT, with “healthier” really being my focus this month, I wanted to share a cookie that still tastes delicious. So I decided on a sweet chocolate chip cookie, but if possible, one that would be a healthier option. And maybe even gluten-free. Though I will say that a gluten-free cookie wasn’t a must, since I know how tricky that can be.
With all that in mind, I wanted to create a tahini cookie for two reasons. One, I’ve never shared a cookie baked up with tahini inside. Two, I have a recipe I’m working on for a project that also uses tahini. And oh my gosh, it is a dang good recipe.
And that’s how this cookie came to be. But the even cooler thing? I tested out three versions of this cookie, one with added sugar, another with all-purpose flour, and another with a lower amount of sugar and almond flour. And you know which cookie ended up winning everyone over?
The healthiest, low-sugar, and gluten-free cookie. Trust me I was shocked, but these cookies speak for themselves with the very first bite. As I like to say, they’re roll your eyes back GOOD.
The process for baking up the perfect tahini cookie…
Honestly, these cookies are almost too good to be true. They’re healthy AND they’re the easiest to make.
First up, I like to use quality butter in my cookies. I think the butter, along with the tahini and honey, are the elements that really make these cookies GOOD! I use a lightly salted stick of organic European style butter and it makes all the difference.
You’ll cream the butter with the smallest amount of brown sugar and honey to sweeten these cookies. Next, add the tahini. For anyone who is unfamiliar, tahini is simply ground sesame seeds. I know that using tahini to bake with might sound weird, but it’s actually so delicious when baked up in a sweet way. It’s used in a lot of Middle Eastern food, in both savory and sweet recipes.
Now add in a mix of almond flour and coconut flour. The mix of the two flours creates the perfect crispy edge, but soft in the center cookie. However, if you only have almond flour on hand, that can be used to replace the coconut flour in a pinch.
I usually buy Bob’s Red Mill Almond and Coconut flour. You can find both in most major grocery stores, Whole Foods, and I believe Trader Joe’s as well.
Now stir in lots of chocolate chips (or chocolate chunks) and bake away. No chilling required! Simple. Simple.
A couple of notes:
As with a lot of my cookie recipes, this one requires tapping that baking sheet on the counter midway through baking, then continue finish baking. When the cookies have completely finished baking, remove them from the oven, and tap the baking sheet once more. You guys, this step is KEY. It will ensure you have the least cakey tahini cookie. Instead, you’ll get a cookie with crisp edges and a soft, chewy center. Tapping the baking pan on the counter deflates the center of the cookie, pushing the edges out.
I pretty much do this whenever I bake any cookies…because it works.
For the flours, I know some of you love to bake with almond flour, and I know some of you love to bake with good ole’ all-purpose flour. These cookies are actually best with a mix of almond and coconut flour. But if you only bake with all-purpose flour, that will work just fine too. You’ll get a slightly thicker, sturdier cookie and it will be delicious. So use what you love/have on hand.
What I love about these cookies is that they’re easy to make, require no chilling, and take less than thirty minutes. And yes, they are even pretty healthy too!
But my favorite part? These are just perfectly crisp on the edges, but soft and oh so chewy in the center. The best kind of cookie and they’ll stay that way over time too! These don’t get hard once cooled.
My best advice? Bake these tonight…because everyone has thirty minutes to bake up cookies. Then eat a few warm, and welcome in the weekend…couldn’t think of a better way to really welcome in the New Year!
Looking for other healthier dessert recipes? Here are my favorites:
5 Ingredient Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies
Healthier Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies
Healthy…ish Homemade Samoas Cookies
Lastly, if you make these, Salted Tahini Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Salted Tahini Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 106 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup dark or light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour (see note for alternative)
- 1/3 cup coconut flour (or additional almond flour)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips, or chunks
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, honey, and tahini until combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla, beating until creamy. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon (if using), and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips/chunks. 3. Scoop the dough out into rounded 1 tablespoon size balls, the dough will be a little wet. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. 4. Bake 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and tap the baking sheet on the counter 2 times to flatten them down. The cookies will have brown edges at this point, that is OK. Return to the oven and bake another 2-3 minutes, the cookies will be browning, but still doughy in the center. Remove from the oven and gently tap the baking sheet on the counter 1-2 times to flatten them down again. 5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet. They're going to look weird, but as they cool, they'll set nicely. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Eat warm (highly recommended) or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
Alternate flour: if you prefer, you can bake these cookies using a total of 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour. The cookies will come out a little thicker, but be just as delicious!
Honey Replacement: you can use an equal amount of brown sugar or granulated sugar in place of the honey.
Freezing: the cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw, then bake as directed.
This post was originally published on January 8, 2021
could i substitute butter with coconut oil or coconut manna? also instead of sugar, coconut sugar?
Hey Jessica,
You can use both coconut oil and coconut sugar. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! I would like to know if I put 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/3 of coconut flour, this will change the texture of the cookie too much…? I don’t have any almond flour, but I do want them to be chewy and crispy.
Thank you!
Hey Oksana,
This will work just fine. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
To the “cookies arent healthy” post. Maybe your definition no, but a cookie made without refined sugar and with only 1/2c of sugar in the whole recipe??!! Fantastic. Also, no quick digesting blood sugar skyrocketing white all purpose flour? Brilliant. Low in carbohydrates and low glycemic while still enjoying an indulgent treat? Awesome. Eat 1 not 5 and be happy with your life choice and move on. You dont have to eat only salads and falafel to be “healthy”. Eat all in moderation and make personal adjustments. I am insulin resistant and these will work well for me. Thank you for the fantastic recipe.
Hey Kristen,
Thanks so much for your kind message, I hope you love the cookies as much as I do!! xTieghan
Could you use 1 1/3 cups all coconut flour if you wanted?
Hey Erika,
Yes, that would work. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Thank you so much for making such a delish-sounding gluten-free and “healthier” cookie alternative! I am OBSESSED with your blog and always just use Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1 Flour if a recipe calls for all-purpose flour since I’m gluten-free. None of your recipes have ever steered me wrong. Can’t wait to try these, you continue to amaze me!
PS. To the person claiming these aren’t “healthy”, Tieghan never said they were, she just said they are healthier than an average cookie because they include more nutritionally dense ingredients like tahini and almond flour. Also, don’t make the claim that these should be “indulged rarely”. This is a food blog, not a one-on-one nutrition consult. Every body is different, so eat as many cookies as you want to!!!
Xoxo
Hey Hannah,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so excited that it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
When should we add the honey? The recipe doesn’t say.
Hey Hannah,
So sorry the recipe has been fixed, the honey is added in step 2. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
To those looking for substitutions…I have food sensitivities from autoimmune issues and have found the following substitutions to work well.
Tigernut flour for almond flour (slightly sweeter than almond so you can reduce the sugar in the recipe a bit) It is a tuber vegetable and available on Amazon and vitacost.
Coconut oil for butter if you can’t have butter substitutes- it’s great for the gut too ?
The recipe sounds great, I plan on subbing at least part of the almond flour with tigernut as I am sensitive to oxalates.
Hey Jessica,
Thanks so much for sharing substitutes that work well for you. xTieghan
These are awesome BUT we forgot to put the honey in because it isn’t listed in the recipe you print out. I am sure the batter would have been wet as you described if we had. They were great anyway and had more the texture of scones. Look forward to trying again.
Hey Julie,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so excited that it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
These sound and look amazing! In step 2 (In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and tahini until combined), do we add the honey at this point, as well?
Hey Anastasia,
Yes, that is correct, sorry for the confusion, I fixed that part:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Oh I’m excited and totally going to make a version of this today. My dr. Has me on the keto diet to help balance me out again. I’m going to adjust the sugar to monk fruit, honey to keto maple syrup and chocolate chips to keto friendly chocolate chips. I’m totally obsessed with your cookbooks, blog and IG account so the fact that I can make something that goes with what I’m doing by adjusting a couple items has me very excited. Im also thinking that maybe adding some can pumpkin instead of the egg I could turn them into cookie dough bits!
Thanks for all you do and the passion you have. I’m grateful you share it with all of us!
Hey there,
I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Stop trying to make it seem like cookies are healthy to eat, they aren’t. To anyone reading, just because you use no cane sugar doesn’t mean there’s sugar in there. The honey and brown sugar are loaded with calories and are your substituted sugars. Also, just because you use alternative flowers doesn’t make them healthy as well, they may be lower in calories but they still don’t make the cookies healthy. While these are healthier than normal cookies, they should be indulged rarely.
Hi there! You can have your opinion and I can have mine 🙂 Just a tip, maybe if you allowed yourself a cookie every so often, you might be just a bit happier! Give it a try!
Have a wonderful weekend! xx
Can you use coconut flour?
Hey Tori,
Yes, the recipe calls for 1/3 cup of coconut flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can this be made dairy free? What would you suggest instead of the butter? Both of my sons are allergic to dairy
Hey Carol,
So sorry I’ve not tested this recipe without the butter. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I love your blog! And I LOVE tahini! I love the way these cookies sound! Unfortunately, I have a tree nut allergy… so almond flour is out for me:(… I have no problem using flour, but I assume I’ll need to make adjustments since flour doesn’t have any fat like almond flour does, so it would change the texture/recipe? Should I add more tahini or butter?
Hey Steph,
You can follow the recipe as is and use an equal amount of all purpose flour. I hope you love the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! Can you use buckwheat flour for this? If so, same portion?
Thanks!
Hey Anne Marie,
Sorry I’ve not tested this with buckwheat flour, so I am honestly not sure about the results! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan