“I think baking cookies is equal to Queen Victoria running an empire. There’s no difference in how seriously you take the job, how seriously you approach your whole life.”

– Martha Stewart.

This was definitely a weekend for comfort baking, if only to stop myself from repeatedly refreshing the news feeds to read the latest grim news about the spread of coronavirus. After a week of trying-to-stay-calm prepping (building up our food stores, making lists, reading up on past pandemics), I needed a break.

As I wanted to make something easy and comforting, I thought what’s a more classic comfort food than a homemade chocolate chip cookie? That being said, I wanted to kick these up a notch. I’d heard a lot of great things about adding tahini to baked goods and wanted to give it a try here. I also browned the butter to add even more nuttiness, and it was so worth it. These are the most tender, flavorful, and delectable chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. And they really couldn’t be easier to make.

The Steps

• Brown the butter.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
• Mix the browned butter with tahini, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
• Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla.
• Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
• Add the chocolate chunks/chips.
• Chill the dough.
• Bake the cookies at 350°F for 11 to 12 minutes.

Tips and Substitutions

• Can you skip browning the butter? Yes, but you’ll lose some of that subtle rich nutty flavor.
• Try to avoid overmixing once you add the dry ingredients. A few floury streaks are okay.
• Chilling the dough for at least two hours, and again for 30 minutes after shaping the cookies, will help with over-spreading in the oven.
• I like to keep the dough balls fairly small, about 1 ounce each (1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons), so the cookies don’t get too big in the oven.
• Take the cookies out of the oven when the centers are still soft. They will continue to cook on the baking sheets.

Reality Bakes

My first test batch of these spread a lot and the cookies were too big. I hadn’t chilled the cookies again after shaping the balls, and the balls were just a little too big to begin with. I rerolled the remaining dough and chilled the shaped cookies for 30 minutes and they came out perfect after exactly 11 minutes.

I also used a combination of chopped chocolate and chips, as it was what I had on hand. Next time, I’ll probably just use chopped chocolate and I’ll chop it a little smaller so it gets all good and melty.

Looking for other great cookie recipes? Try these oatmeal pomegranate chocolate chip flavor bombs, or these lemon thyme shortbread cookies.

Print Pin

Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

An update on the classic chocolate chip cookie, with a hint of sesame from tahini, the subtle nuttiness of brown butter, and the richness of chocolate.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Author Jen Leigh

Ingredients

• 8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips
• Flaked sea salt (optional)

Instructions

• Brown the butter by melting in a light-colored pan over medium heat.* Stir frequently as it bubbles and boils, including scraping the bottom of the pan. Allow to simmer until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from heat immediately and pour into a heatproof bowl to cool. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cooled brown butter, tahini, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until well combined, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Scrape the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each one and scraping the bowl down in between and after. Add the vanilla and mix briefly to combine.
• Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients just until combined. A few floury streaks are okay. The mixture should be glossy.
• Add the chocolate and mix briefly to combine. Try not to overmix.
• Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least two hours or up to overnight.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare two baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.
• Shape the cookies into rounds with your hands or an ice cream scoop, about 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) each, and place them at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Flatten the cookies a little and then chill for 30 minutes.
• Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, turning the sheets halfway through. Cookies are done when the edges are golden brown but centers are still slightly soft.
• Remove from the oven, sprinkle with flaked sea salt (if using) and let cookies cool on the sheets about 15 minutes, or until firmed up enough to move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

*You can skip browning the butter and just add it directly to the sugars and tahini, but you will lose some of the nutty flavor. Be sure the butter is at room temperature.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword brown butter, chocolate chip cookies, tahini