While recently making our tahini cookies for what felt like the millionth time, we thought, Why not add chocolate to this party? The result was even better than we imagined. Introducing: fudgy chocolate tahini cookies studded with chocolate chips! They’re vegan, gluten-free, and absolutely delicious — like a brownie and cookie in one!
All you need for these? 1 bowl, 8 ingredients, and about 20 minutes. Need we say more? Let’s bake some cookies!
Chocolate Tahini Cookie Ingredients
- Tahini – this creamy seed butter (made by blending sesame seeds) has become one of our favorite ingredients to include in sweet treats due to its rich, nutty, slightly bitter flavor. It also adds moisture, replacing the butter or oil in a typical cookie, keeping these cookies naturally oil-free and rich in nutrients!
- Maple syrup – the sweet, rich flavor of maple syrup plays so well with tahini, adds moisture, and keeps these cookies naturally sweetened. If you are looking for another option, honey or agave could be worth a try!
- Almond flour & tapioca flour – this gluten-free and grain-free flour combination keeps these cookies light, airy, and fudgy. If you can’t have almonds, cashew flour would likely work well! If nut-free, you could experiment with a seed-based flour, or perhaps a lesser amount of all-purpose or oat flour, but the texture and flavor of the cookies will be different.
- Cocoa powder – yummmmm, chocolate! No notes.
- Baking soda & sea salt – these cookie classics add lift and flavor.
- Chocolate chips – extra chocolate = extra deliciousness! When the cookies are eaten warm, the chocolate chips are melty and especially wonderful.
How to Make Chocolate Tahini Cookies
We’re no strangers to the magic of tahini + maple syrup (exhibits A, B, and C), and that is exactly where we start with these cookies! When whisked together, these two ingredients create a luscious, caramel-looking mixture with the perfect bitter-sweet balance.
Next, we add the dry ingredients (almond flour, tapioca starch, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt) and stir until the cookie dough forms. Cookie making doesn’t get much easier than that!
The final ingredient before scooping and baking: chocolate chips! Because who wouldn’t want melty bites of chocolate in their cookies?!
A quick bake in the oven (~10 minutes) and another few to cool (~5 minutes), and the cookies are all yours!
These may just become your new favorite cookies! They’re:
Rich
Fudgy
Crisp on the outside
Tender on the inside
Perfectly sweet
Chocolaty
Quick & easy
& Irresistibly delicious!
These satisfying (5 g protein per serving!) cookies are perfect for a sweet + energizing afternoon treat, Valentine’s Day celebrations, holiday cookie making, and much more. They also keep well in the freezer (as dough or cookies), so they’re great for satisfying chocolate cravings in a hurry!
More Tahini-Filled Treats
- Tahini Sweet Potato Blondies
- Creamy Vanilla Tahini Shake
- Tahini Stuffed Dates (AKA Tahini Bombs!)
- 5-Ingredient Chocolate Tahini Truffles
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Fudgy Chocolate Tahini Cookies (1 Bowl!)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup tahini, unsalted and smooth/drippy (see our tahini review for our favorite brands)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (we like Enjoy Life)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (176 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To a medium mixing bowl, add tahini and maple syrup and use a whisk to thoroughly combine. Next add the almond flour, tapioca starch, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix well. Add the chocolate chips and stir to distribute.
- Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon (scooped generously!) to scoop ~1 1/2 tablespoon portions of dough, then roll into near perfect balls before placing them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Gently press down on each dough ball to flatten them slightly. Recipe as written should make ~13 cookies and they won’t spread much, so they should all fit on a standard size baking sheet (adjust if making a larger batch!). See notes if you’d prefer freezing the dough to bake in smaller batches.
- Bake in the oven for 9-12 minutes until slightly firm on the edges. Let cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy!
- Store leftovers covered at room temperature up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Enjoy at room temperature for best texture.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with semisweet chocolate chips.
*Adapted from our Easy Tahini Cookies (Vegan + GF).
meerab says
thank you for this amazing recipe
Thanks so much for the support! xo
Joan D says
These are delicious with great texture and gooey-ness! I made 19 cookies and baked them for 10 minutes. What cocoa powder do you recommend for the best flavor?
We’re so glad you’re enjoying them, Joan! Thanks so much for the lovely review. We love the Guittard cocoa powder!
GJ says
This was delicious! I was a fan of the original tahini cookies and this took it up a notch. Did not change anything. Tastes extra yummy after microwaving it for 25-30 seconds on top of some vanilla ice cream!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy this version even more than the original tahini cookies. And YUM, great tip! Thank you for sharing! xo
Diane says
These were absolutely delicious!!! They tasted like a brownie and the melting, gooey chocolate chips were divine! I love how fast they were to make and it was a perfect ending to our dinner. Thank you for the recipe. Looking forward to another batch soon.
Yay! That’s exactly what we thought they tasted like as well :) Thank you for making the recipe and sharing, Diane! xo
das says
Wow, these are spectacular. The texture is crisp/chewy on the edges and soft and gooey in the center, with an intense chocolate flavor. I used 1/4 tahini and 1/4 almond butter bc the tahini I had on hand is honestly not the best (not overly creamy and slightly bitter). Anyway, this combination worked well for me. I used bittersweet chocolate chips (again b/c this is what I had on hand.) I followed ingredient amounts, but my dough produced 20 cookies (I’m not complaining, lol). I cooked for about 10 minutes. I’m guessing the tapioca starch is essential to the texture, so I wouldn’t recommend changing that. Seriously, for a cookie that you probably have everything on hand to make, these are fantastic!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Das. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Fran says
These cookies are just delicious!! They taste of chocolate so much, even the smell, they are amazing. Followed the recipe to a T, got 12 out of the dough, only I left them 5 minutes longer as I placed them in the cold oven.
Thanks!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy these cookies, Fran. Thank you for the wonderful review! xo
Susan says
When I saw tahini, I said YES! I love most all of your recipes, but this one was difficult for me. The “dough” was practically impossible to stir and work in all the dry ingredients. Maple syrup and tahini simply did not give enough moisture to bind all ingredients in the bowl. Tired and frustrated, I wondered how to add moisture, so I found some organic apple juice in my fridge. I added 1 tablespoon at a time until I could get the dry ingredients worked in. Then I added the chocolate pieces and realized it was far more than I would have wanted in the cookies. Anyway, I scooped up the dough as directed and baked them. I will eat this batch, but I won’t make the effort to do it all again. This is not a keeper for me. Sorry.
Oh no! We’re so sorry this one didn’t work well for you, Susan. Would you mind sharing what brand of tahini you were using? Was it a creamy, drippy one or more thick and dry? Some brands are really thick and we can see how that could impact the texture.
Susan says
I used Soom, my favorite.
Thank you for this additional information, Susan! We like that one too and find it’s usually drippy and works well, so we’re not sure what happened. Sorry this one was a miss for you!
Carol says
These are the best cookies ever!! I initially thought the dough was too dry but it came together beautifully and they are delicious!!!
Whoop! We’re so glad you love these cookies, Carol. Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Lindsay says
I love the recipes on this site! I often wonder on this site if the recipes are tested using both the metric and US customary measurements?
Hi Lindsay, we typically test the recipes using US customary measurements and then convert to metrics using a document we’ve created that has a mix of grams amounts listed on packaging and measurements we’ve calculated by weighing ingredients. Occasionally, we do test a recipe using metric measurements, especially if readers experience any issues with the recipe after we’ve posted it. Hope that helps!
Karen says
THANK YOU! I had been wondering about trying to make your sesame tahini cookies with chocolate but wasn’t brave enough to try. Here they are!
Just delicious. I think they’d be really tasty with crumbled halvah, too.
Unrelated question: When using the search feature the interface is very different and glitchy. I had no luck. Also, there is the option to create an account that pops up?
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy these cookies, Karen. Thank you for the lovely review! We also appreciate you bringing these issues to our attention. Can you provide more details about what you’re experiencing with the search feature? Are you referring to the search pop-up that says “powered by Slickstream” in the top right corner or the search feature directly on our site (for example here above the filters)? We would love to look into it and improve user experience! You can create an account to save your favorite recipes by clicking the heart on the bottom right side of the page on any recipe, then clicking the bookmark symbol to the left of that. Let us know if you have any further questions about that!
cindy says
chocolate + tahini = the dream team! Loved these cookies so much! So simple and quick to make, and taste like a fudgy brownie cookie…but surprisingly healthy.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed these cookies, Cindy. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Elise says
Allergic to chocolate so I made these with carob powder and carob chips and they turned out incredible!
We’re so glad you were able to modify to your needs and enjoyed the result, Elise! Thank you for sharing! xo
Carolin Kapahnke says
I’m not allergic but cacao contains caffeine so I use carob as well. The sweet potatoe brownies work also well with carob.
Alison says
These are unreal – 10/10 – no notes
Whoop! We’re SO happy to hear it, Alison! xoxo
Dawn says
Made these for my yoga class this morning. Your tahini cookies are a favorite on my rotation and everyone reported that these fudgy ones are next level delicious! Thank you for all your yummy and easy recipes. Sending much love and apprecation!
YAY! We’re so happy to hear these were a hit at class today. Thank you for your sweet words and lovely review, Dawn! xo
CJ says
I made these!!! Although I cannot have chocolate which is the entire delicious point, I subbed carob powder in and I didn’t have any carob chips but had carob carob coated peanuts. OMG they were like little brownies. YUMMO thank you so easy and simple. Sorry I changed it up
No apologies needed! We are SO glad you were able to eat these cookies with those creative modifications. Thank you for sharing, CJ! xo
Emily says
So so easy and perfect!! Made them once with cashew instead of tahini because that’s what I had and they were fantastic, a huge hit. So good that the family ate them all so I made them again with tahini, again fantastic and much easier to mix together and more delicate flavour. I also subbed arrowroot for tapioca both times and it was great. This is a favourite, thanks!!!
Amazing! We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed both versions of the cookies. Thank you for sharing your experience with those modifications, Emily! xo
Eileen Zeanah says
Delicious! Followed directions exactly and these are so soft and fluffy. Saving to make again!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed the cookies and will be making the recipe again. Thank you for the lovely review, Eileen! xo
A says
Really good!!
xoxo!
Lisa says
I made these as written and they are so delicious! Quick, easy and so tasty! Another great recipe, thank you!
Yay! We’re so glad to hear it, Lisa. Thank you for another lovely review! xo
Stephanie says
Huge hit every time! Triple batches freeze great. Because maple syrup is expensive where I live, I sub half the amount with blended dates or silan🏅🏆
We’re so glad you enjoy them, Stephanie! Thank you so much for the lovely review! xo
Esti Allina says
Easy and delicious. I actually used a bit less than the full 1/2 c. of maple syrup. Really yummy, just what I wanted to have with coffee or tea.
Wonderful! We’re so glad they were just what you wanted, Esti. Thank you for sharing! xo
Lisa says
So good! As soon as I saw this recipe I knew I needed to make them. They didn’t disappoint!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Lisa. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Sharyn says
Is there a good substitute for tapioca starch? Would an egg do the same thing, or cornstarch?
Hi Sharyn, the tapioca starch is used as a flour substitute here rather than an egg substitute. We think arrowroot starch or all-purpose flour (if not gluten-free) would be your next best options. Cornstarch could also work, but we think it would be more likely than the other two suggestions to make the cookies too dry/brittle. Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Janet says
Yummy….as usual another great recipe. We always enjoy
all that you do. Thank you so much. 😋
Aw, this makes us so happy, Janet! We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes! xoxo
christine mavlian says
Hi there, I’m wondering if I can use unhulled tahini for this recipe? I prefer to use it because of it’s high calcium content but sometimes it doesn’t work in cookie recipes. Thanks
Hi Christine, hmm, that’s a great question! We haven’t tested unhulled tahini in cookies, but think it could add more bitterness. As long as you’re okay with that, it might be worth a try! Perhaps a half batch in case it doesn’t work as well?
Christine says
Could one substitute tapioca flour with arrowroot flour in the Chocolate Tahini cookies
Hi Christine, we haven’t tested it that way, but we think it would work. Let us know if you give it a try!
Abby says
What can we use in place of tapioca starch?
Hi Abby, we think arrowroot starch or all-purpose flour (if not gluten-free) could work. Let us know if you try it out!
Leigh says
What about potato starch?
We think potato starch would be too drying here, but it might work!
Paola says
Hi! I want to try but I can’t use tahini. Can I substitute the Tahini for Almond Butter or Peanut butter?
Hi Paola, we think either of those would work, with peanut butter being the better option! The cookies will have a slightly different flavor, but should still be very delicious and similar in texture :)
Cara Dawn says
These look great – but what are the white flakes inside the cookies? I wonder if an ingredient is missing, maybe stirring sesame seeds into the batter, or coconut?
Hi Cara, that’s the almond flour :)