I have just made cookies and am in total heaven. I'm actually sat here right now contemplating if I could eat the whole batch before everyone comes home from school and work today. The only problem is I told them I'd have cookies for them tonight so I've sort of tripped myself up already. But they don't need to know about the next time, right? Time to start batch freezing for that rainy day :)
So Chocolate Chip + Tahini Cookies. I first heard of the idea of tahini in cookies from the amazing Molly Yeh who is EVERYWHERE at the moment with the release of her first book (although sadly not available in the UK yet for another month). Molly's recipe actually comes from chef and blogger Danielle Oron’s Modern Israeli Cooking. Tahini is a thick paste made from ground sesame seeds and I haven't used it for cooking before. But Molly's cookies must have stuck in the back of my mind as I woke up yesterday absolutely convinced that I must make a batch of these cookies right now. And boy oh boy, they are so worth it. They do need to rest in the freezer for 12 hours so you need a little patience and this is a stage that Molly says is crucial for the gluten to develop.
The original recipe calls for 1.75 cups of Valrhona chocolate chips which is a lot. I spend my life converting cup recipes back to my more familiar grams and this is well over 200g chocolate so I opted for a 150g bar of Green & Black's Dark Chocolate. It takes a little more muscle power to chop it up but I like the uneven chunks and G&B's chocolate tastes fabulous in them. I also think it's got the perfect amount in each cookie but hey, you have options :)
These cookies are simple to make and amazingly delicious. The flavour of tahini is incredible and I'm pondering how I can incorporate it into all sorts of other dishes. And I like anything you can stick in the freezer and bring out if a friend calls around unexpectedly or if you're just having one of those days! The recipe does make quite large cookies. I baked half of my batch as the large cookies and then divided each of the other dough balls in half. They take a similar amount of baking time so keep an eye on them to make sure they don't over-bake.
I just know these are going to be a huge hit in this house. For the best ever result, eat them warm from the oven :)
chocolate chip + tahini cookies
inspired by molly yeh + from danielle oron’s modern israeli cooking
Makes 12 large cookies or 24 small cookies
Ingredients
- 115G UNSALTED BUTTER (at room temperature)
- 110G TAHINI
- 180G CASTER SUGAR
- 1 LARGE EGG + 1 LARGE EGG YOLK
- 1 TSP VANILLA
- 160G PLAIN FLOUR
- 1/2 TSP BAKING SODA
- 1/2 TSP BAKING POWDER
- 1 TSP SALT
- 150G CHOCOLATE CHIPs (I used a 150g bar of Green & Black's Dark Chocolate, chopped)
- MALDON SALT FOR SPRINKLING
Method
- In a freestanding mixer, cream the butter, tahini and sugar on a medium speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy
- Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and continue to beat on medium for another 5 minutes
- Sift the flour, bicarb, baking powder and salt over the top of your bowl and gently mix together on low until just combined
- Stir in your chocolate by hand
- Line a baking sheet and then using a small ice cream scoop, place 12 spoonfuls of your cookie dough across the baking sheet
- Cover with clingfilm and place in the freezer for 12 hours
- When you're ready to bake your cookies, preheat your oven to 150 degrees (fan)
- Space the frozen cookie balls apart (they expand to around 10cm in diameter when baked)
- If you don't want to bake all your cookies now place them in ziplock bag and freeze for up to 6 months
- Bake them for around 18-20 mins - they should be golden brown on the edges but look a little uncooked in the centre
- Sprinkle them with sea salt
- Leave them to cool on their baking tray for 20 minutes
- And enjoy :)