Forget about all the chocolate chip cookies you have eaten and try these Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies. Yes, these are that good! Made without butter. Tahini takes the place of butter in this recipe. These cookies are chewy, wonderfully nutty and packed with chocolate chips.
Looking at the ingredients, you might find this recipe a bit complicated. But it is definitely not. Just like all other chocolate chip cookie recipes, combine the ingredients in a mixing ball, scoop the cookie dough on a baking sheet and bake.
Oh did I tell you that there is no need for chilling the dough in this tahini cookie recipe? One more reason to try it ASAP!
Substitute Tahini For Butter
You’ve heard it right. There is no butter in this recipe. Tahini is a great substitute for butter in easy cookie recipes like this. Using tahini makes the process even easier. No need to wait for the butter to melt or soften. Just mix the tahini with the other ingredients.
You will be absolutely amazed when you get the first bite. You won’t even notice there is no butter in these cookies. Tahini works perfectly in place of butter.
What Is Tahini?
Tahini is a sesame paste that is world widely known as a staple ingredient in every hummus recipe. It is a Middle Eastern ingredient which has a lot more usages than hummus. Similar to other nut pastes like peanut butter and almond butter, tahini is full of vitamins and good oils. It is a good source of calcium and protein. Thus, tahini is a good ingredient for a vegan diet.
Also, if you are allergic to peanuts, use tahini as a substitute for peanut butter.
As for the taste, tahini has a nutty and earthy taste. So it is mostly mixed with other foods and not eaten on its own.
Also check out Turkish Sesame Tahini Cookies Coated With Molasses!
Tip: A quality tahini doesn’t have a bitter taste. There are lots of tahini brands around, so try to find the best one. A good tahini is creamy, light and with a nice nutty flavor.
About The Ingredients
- Use a good quality tahini (creamy ant definitely not bitter)
- We use just regular sugar, but you can use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar, which will result in browner cookies.
- Turkish coffee in these cookies matches very well with the flavors of tahini and chocolate. Although we use it in a little amount, it helps a lot for that “Omg!” moment. If you can’t find Turkish coffee, you can use any finely ground coffee. But we’d recommend that you make some effort to find it, using online markets maybe.
- We love to chop a bar of dark chocolate and use them in cookies because they are better in taste and texture. But you can definitely use regular chocolate chips too.
- Use sea salt or flaky salt for the topping. These give the best result for salted chocolate chip cookies.
How To Make
This is an easy cookie recipe because everything goes into a large bowl and then scooped on a baking sheet. And no chilling is required!
- First, whisk together tahini and sugar using a hand whisk.You will get a crumbly mixture.
- Second, mix in the egg. You will get a smooth mixture.
- Third, whisk in salt.
- Fourth, using a spatula, add in flour, baking soda and Turkish coffee. Stir until everything holds together. It will look a bit dry and a bit hard to stir, but everything will hold in a few minutes. You can make this step using your hand if you find it easier.
- Next, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Now scoop a tablespoon of cookie dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes in a 350F/170C preheated oven.
- Finally, remove from the oven and sprinkle flaky sea salt over each when they are still hot. You can even place extra chocolate chips if you want more chocolate on your cookies.
- After two minutes, transfer them on a cooling rack.
How To Store
You can keep these in an airtight container for 3- 4 days at room temperature. Also, you can keep the unbaked dough in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for two months.
More Cookie Recipes
- Lemon Meltaway Cookies
- Melting Moments
- Turkish Apple Cookies
- Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!
Sign up for the FREE GiveRecipe Newsletter to get the new recipes into your inbox! And stay in touch with us on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram for all the latest updates.
📖 Recipe
Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies Without Butter
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup tahini
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Turkish coffee
- ½ cup dark chocolate chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350F/170C.
- Combine the first two using a hand whisk or an electric mixer. You will get a crumbly mixture.
- Mix in the egg.
- Whisk in salt.
- Using a spatula, add in flour, baking soda and Turkish coffee. Stir until everything holds together. (It will look a bit dry, so a bit hard to stir, but everything will hold in a few minutes)
- Fold in chocolate chunks.
- Scoop a tablespoon of dough and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- remove from the oven and sprinkle flaky sea salt over each when they are still hot. You can even place extra chocolate chips if you want more chocolate on your cookies.
- After two minutes, transfer them on a cooling rack.
NUTRITION
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Sun says
I love these! I've made them dozens of times and they always turn out perfect! I've tried adding cardamom and they have such a lovely flavour.
Julie says
Delicious and easy recipe! I, too, was skeptical of the dry dough at first, but when I was ready to scoop it was ideal consistency. I used the combination of granulated and brown sugar. I would describe the taste as elegant chocolate chip. The subtle nuttiness and hint of coffee take them to the next level. I didn't miss the butter at all!
Yusuf says
Hi Julie! So happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for the comment!
Cheryl Altinkemer says
I love all your recipes and they saved me while living in Turkey for a few months! Just a few suggestions:
1. For this recipe I added a Tablespoon of cold water to make the dough a bit more pliable and a 1/2 t. Cinnamon. I get rave reviews and requests for more!
2. I find your website a bit difficult to navigate. When I go to the question mark and type in the recipe name the recipe never appears - I have to find it by searching in deserts. This happens with a few other recipes as well. But at least I find it!
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Cheryl,
Firstly, we are absolutely thrilled to hear that our recipes have been of help to you during your time in Turkey!
Your suggestions for the recipe are fantastic! Adding a tablespoon of cold water to make the dough more pliable is a great tip for those who might struggle with the dough consistency. And the addition of cinnamon can indeed bring a warm and cozy touch to many dishes. We appreciate your creativity and will consider integrating your tips into the recipe for the benefit of other readers.
As for our website's navigation, we're sorry to hear that you're having trouble finding the recipes you want. We're constantly working on improving user experience, and feedback like yours is invaluable. We will certainly look into the search function to make it more user-friendly and efficient.
Once again, thank you so much for your kind words and constructive feedback.
Jo says
Really delicious! I was worried about the super tough dough, but the cookies turned out great and everyone loved them. Thank you!
Yusuf says
Hi Jo,
Glad you liked the recipe! Thank you for the feedback!
Suzan says
Can this be made without using any coffee at all?
Yusuf says
Yes, sure. Coffee gives a nice flavor when combined with tahini. But you can leave it out and the cookies will still taste great.
Hoda says
Hi,
Thank you for this blog. Can you please clarify? Am I supposed to prepare the Turkish coffee first and just take half a teaspoon from the cup of coffee to put in the batter? Or am I supposed to just use Turkish coffee powder?
Thank you very much.
Yusuf says
Hi Hoda,
Welcome to our blog! And sorry for the confusion. Just use the Turkish coffee powder just like you do with cocoa powder. No need for cooking the coffee first.
Ginger says
I brewed the coffee, oh well, next time! 😉
These are delicious! I was going to just 1/2 the recipe as its just me. So glad I didn't!
Yusuf says
It's great if the recipe wtill worked with brewed coffee! So happy to hear that you loved these cookies as much as we do!