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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
These cookies are amazing!!!! I first made them just as the recipe is, and they are fantastic! I also made them a second time with peanut butter instead of tahini just to see. But they are indeed a bit better with the tahini.
They really do have less sugar than traditional cookie recipes. More importantly, the sugars and flours used are less processed, have more nutrients, fiber, and protein than processed cane sugar and wheat flour. Thanks for the yummy recipe!!
Hey Mareshah,
I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have a great week! xTieghan
These are fantastic! For best results you really need to follow the recipe, especially the flours. My grocery store was out of coconut flour so I used all almond flour. The cookies spread and ran together (although they were still tasty!). Then I used 2/3 c. almond flour and 2/3 c. AP flour. The texture was kind of…weird; the cookies were still good but the AP flour distorted the flavor. Finally I got coconut flour and was able to make these as written. Yuuuuummm!!! Sweet, but not too sweet, and good texture. Tapping the cookie sheets on the counter is important, too. This recipe is a keeper!
Hey Barbara,
I am thrilled you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Here are my tweaks. I used coconut palm sugar instead of brown sugar. I use maple syrup instead of honey. These did not flatten out so when they came out of the oven I just flattened them with my hand. I did tap per instructions twice. The taste is amazing! So satisfying for a gluten-free treat. Very low in sugar. Thanks for the recipe I love the little sprinkle of mineral salt on top. As I’ve gone sugar free adding just a touch of sweetener, natural or not, taste super sweet to me but these were just perfect.
Hey Lori,
I am thrilled you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
The only thing I recommend is that you have to do it based off your type of ovenm I needed to cook it for twice as long just to get any sort of brown and be able to pick the cookie up to eat it without falling apart ? great flavor though and would Def make again!
Also, I love your blog, have made numerous recipes and have recommended your recipes to many family members and everyone loves them! Keep up the good work and more coming! 🙂
Hey Justine,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Really delicious!! We have a dairy allergy so I substituted the butter for half cup coconut oil, a sprinkle of water, and a pinch more salt. Cookies came out amazing!
Hey Anna,
I am so thrilled the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! Happy Friday! xTieghan
I just loved these cookies, so so so glad i found an amazing gluten free recipe that tastes like an actual cookie. Will be making them again. Thanks so much.
Hey Lynn,
I am so thrilled the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! Happy Friday! xTieghan
Yeah I messed up on these, thought almond meal and almond flour were similar if not the same. Learned the hard way, they would not set but luckily my sister loves under-baked cookies and we ate them all anyway. Still yummy! Used Peanut butter instead of tahini because I only had that on hand. I shall try again once Tahini is back in the cupboard. Can I sub in oats instead of almond flour since it’s hard to come by in my country? or just all flour?
Hey Naoise,
So sorry about that, oats will not work, you will want to follow the instructions as is:) xTieghan
These are oh so good! My 8 year old took one bite and said they may be the best cookies he’s ever had (and I make a lot of cookies). These will definitely be in regular rotation. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Sara,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Great healthier alternative! We have a snow day today. Had with hot chocolate.
Thank you for another great recipe.
Hey Karen,
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies! xTieghan
Loved the slightly nutty taste that the tahini gave these cookies, almost like a very mild peanut butter cookie. I didn’t have the alternative flours on hand, so I used all purpose flour. I also chilled the dough for 10 minutes in the fridge after folding in the chocolate chips, and then added 2 minutes to the baking time. The cookies didn’t flatten out and I did have to press them down slightly, but I like them that way. The resulting cookies were soft and delicious.
Hey Chrissy,
Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a go, I am so delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Not sure what happened but my cookies were rather flat. The flavor profile is there though, the cookies are delicious. I feel like Julia Powell on my days off, trying a lot of your recipes.
Hey Danie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, these are actually meant to be a flat cookie. Let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This will be our go to chocolate chip cookie recipe from now on. My daughters, 2 and 4, loved them and my husband who has to eat gluten free was a huge fan.
Hey Jenna,
Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a go, I am so delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Any reason why you thaw the frozen dough balls first before baking? I usually throw mine right in the oven frozen, sometimes they take an extra minute or two. Anything different with this recipe that requires thawing? Thanks!
Hey Jenny,
I find they turn out better if they are thawed first. I hope you love the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Amazing! Not too sweet, which I love.
Hey Thomas,
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks a lot for giving it a try and happy Sunday! xTieghan
Hi!
I have tested this recipe with apple sauce (even added a bit of salt) instead of butter as well as banana instead of the egg and it tasted delicious! Can’t compare with the original recipe though but it was still super good!
I am a fan of tahini so I would have added more tahini hehe.
Camille
Hey Camille,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan