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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
I’m not sure what I did wrong. I followed the recipe to a t but mine did not brown on the park edges. They taste amazing though so I’m wondering if you can give me advice to help me
Hey Lauren,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, so sorry the cookies did not brown on the edges. Was there anything you adjusted? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Delish! By tahini didnt look so hot so we used almond butter and all purpose flour. Amazing!!! And the banging the cookie sheet is a new adopted technique. Thank you!!
Hey Natasha,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I am so excited to make these tonight. I saw someone’s rude comment and wanted to let you know how appreciated you are. Thanks for always posting thoughtful and delicious content. Keep doing you! Cheers!
Hey Carrie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Tieghan! Big time follower and maker of all of your recipes–this one was a huge hit with my friend who is gluten free! She loved them and immediately wanted the recipe. I was also a fan and love a soft cookie. My first batch definitely crumbled a bit because I didn’t let them set very long on the pan before trying to transfer them to the cooling rack, but my second batch: fantastic! I definitely want to have one with my coffee this morning. Thanks for such a creative recipe!
Hey Susan,
I am so glad you liked the recipe, thanks for giving it a go! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
To the commenter who got her panties all in a wad about the cookies not being healthy. Do you think we are a bunch of 5 year old’s that can’t read a recipe? Please if you want to give diet advise go to the Indulge rarely message board.
I hope you love the recipe Nancy:) xTieghan
Thank you for the recipe! I tried it last night and LOVE it! I decreased the sugar by 1 Tbsp and still thought the cookies were delicious! As I try not to heat honey because of research I’ve done regarding that, I just replaced the honey with organic sugar. I think that did take away a little of the chewy texture and I will try some maple syrup next time. Even so, the cookies were fantastic!
To the, “cookies aren’t healthy” person, I believe any time anyone moves even a little in a healthy direction, that person should be applauded, not criticized. The ingredients in this recipe were more than a slight move in a healthy direction. I do not think wheat and gluten are enemies, but for some people those ingredients are. To be able to replace flour with something that does not spike blood sugar is good for us all. The health benefits of sesame seeds, including that they are a good source of fibre, may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, etc can only benefit us as well.
Hey Corie,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! I hope you have an awesome weekend:) xTieghan
A-MAZE-ING!! So easy and SO delicious. I refrigerated the dough for about 30 minutes to make it easier to scoop. The instructions are spot-on, especially the oven timing. AWESOME!
Hey Evie,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! I hope you have an awesome weekend:) xTieghan
These were amazing! I didn’t have coconut flour on hand, but it worked great using all almond flour. My family especially loves the sea salt on top!
Hey there,
I am so glad the recipe worked out for you! Thanks for making it:) Happy Friday! xTieghan
To which program do you set it the oven on?
Hey Amal,
I bake these on regular. I hope you love the recipe, let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I love this variation of choc chip cookies!! The sweet and salty really make it! Delish!!!
Hey Gretchen,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Tahini amd chocolate is new combo for me. Must tasty I am sure 🙂 on my list now.
Hey Priya,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
These cookies are so yummy and easy to make, the perfect twist on a classic chocolate chip cookie. We made them twice in one week!
Hey Katherine,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
These taste amazing!!
Thanks so much Marissa! xTieghan
These are seriously THE BEST cookies. My husband kept repeating that over and over as he continued to eat more and more of them. Love the sesame flavor from the Tahini! Thank you for sharing such an incredible gluten free cookie recipe!
Hey Taryn,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
I just started following halfbakedharvest and this is the first recipe I’ve tried! AMAZING! I knew it was going to be a great cookie when I saw the smooth creamy texture of the dough. In my oven 5 min then 3 min was perfect – with the taps! Used half dark chocolate half semi-sweet chocolate chips. I may use chunks next time if I have them on hand! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!! They’re addicting!
Hey Rachel,
Thank you so much for making the recipe. I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! xTieghan