Made using tahini as the main ingredient, these Vegan Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies are so delicious! With crisp edges and a chewy middles, these healthy choc chip cookies are refined sugar free, gluten free, dairy free, egg free and nut free. But definitely not flavour free! These are the cookies of your dreams, I'm completely in love with them.
My vegan tahini cookies are the perfect school lunchbox snack, being nut free. The best part is you only need 5 whole foods ingredients to make them! If you love these cookies then you should also try my Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies or my Healthy Banana Oatmeal Cookies.
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What's to Love About This Recipe
- made with just 5 ingredients - all of the ingredients for this recipe can be found from your local grocery store or bulk foods store.
- healthy - these cookies have no refined sugars and will keep you feeling full for longer thanks to healthy fats, protein and complex carbohydrates.
- great recipe to meal prep - these cookies keep really well in an airtight container so you can go ahead and make a double batch!
- allergy friendly - these chewy chocolate chip cookies are gluten free, dairy free, egg free and nut free!
What is Tahini?
Tahini is essentially a sesame seed butter. It is made from grinding the seeds into a paste and originates from Israel. Tahini is a commonly used dip or spread and is found in recipes like hummus, baba ganoush and halva. This delicious spread has gained popularity due to it's nutritional profile, being an extremely healthy food. Tahini is an excellent source of protein, healthy fatty acids, iron, magnesium, calcium and B vitamins. Adding tahini to smoothies, smoothie bowls, chia pudding, porridge or granola is a great way of boosting the nutritional value of the dish.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Below I've listed all of the ingredients that you'll need to make these tahini vegan chocolate chip cookies, as well as any notes. I've been able to find all of these ingredients in grocery stores. You can find the ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Wet Ingredients
- tahini - Tahini is the not so secret ingredient that makes this recipe oh so delicious. I recommend using a good quality hulled tahini. I love the nutty flavor that tahini gives these cookies. You can get some really runny tahini, I would say that the tahini I used was not super runny and not super thick, somewhere in between. I haven't tested this recipe with almond butter, however that would be a potential substitution if you're not a fan of tahini.
- pure maple syrup - I always recommend using pure maple syrup and not maple "flavored" syrup, as it is much healthier and less processed. I haven't tested this recipe with other liquid sweeteners so can't offer a substitution for this ingredient.
Dry Ingredients
- coconut flour - coconut flour is quite a unique flour in that it is high in fibre and absorbs a lot of liquid. Because of this it can't be substituted for another ingredient without having to change the ingredient quantities completely.
- baking powder - I've used baking powder and not baking soda. The difference is that baking powder is a mixture of baking soda and cream of tartar.
- dark chocolate chunks - I've used chopped chocolate in this recipe you could also use dark chocolate chunks or dark chocolate chips. I've used dark chocolate as I prefer it and it is vegan. However, if you could also use milk chocolate or a vegan milk chocolate if that's your preference.
How to Make Vegan Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
I love that you can make this chocolate chunk cookie in one bowl, no fancy equipment or stand mixer required! Follow my step-by-step instructions to see how it's done!
First, preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius (356 F). Add the tahini, coconut flour, maple syrup and baking powder to a large bowl and whisk or stir to combine. The mixture needs to be really well combined, making sure to squash any lumps of flour and mixing them through.
Next, stir through the chocolate chunks. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes at room temperature. This just gives the coconut flour a chance to absorb liquid, making the mixture less sticky and easier to work with.
Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a small cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough from the bowl and place onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. If your cookie sheet isn't large enough then you will need two trays. Use your hands to roll the bits of dough into balls and then press down gently with yours hands. Make sure that the cookie dough balls are evenly spread out and have at least 1.5 inches between each cookie.
Place the tray into the oven on the middle shelf to bake for 10 minutes. If you are using two trays, aim to have both trays as close to the middle of the oven as possible. Bake for ten minutes or until golden brown. If the tray closer to the bottom isn't golden after ten minutes, remove the top tray from the oven, move the tray that was on the lower shelf to the top shelf and give them another 2 minutes.
Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling wrack.
Nut Free Cookie Recipe
I've found recently that there is a real shortage of healthy, gluten free vegan recipes that are also nut free. While almond flour is one of my personal favs, it's no good if you are either:
- allergic to almonds, or
- trying to pack nut free lunches for school or kindy.
So I've been on a bit of a mission lately to come up with yummy recipes that are:
- nut free
- dairy free
- egg free
- refined sugar free
- gluten free, and
- based on wholefood ingredients.
These Vegan Choc Chip Tahini Cookies happen to tick all of those boxes! Yay!
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Spoon
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Baking Tray
- Baking Paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup tahini
- ⅔ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup dark choc bits or dark chocolate chopped into chunks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 F). Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Add the tahini, baking powder, maple syrup and coconut flour to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add the dark chocolate chips or chocolate chunks and stir through.
- Use a small cookie dough scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking trays. Using your hands, roll the cookie dough into balls and then press down gently with hands to flatten slightly. Make sure the cookies are at least 1.5 inches apart.
- Place the trays into the oven on the middle shelf. If both won't fit on the middle shelf, place one tray on the middle and one on the next shelf up. After 10 minutes, the tray on the top will be golden, remove them from the oven and then place the tray on the middle on the top shelf and bake for a further 2 minutes.
- Allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes on the tray before transferring to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container.
Notes
Notes
- Once cooled, store tahini cookies in an airtight container on the bench top.
- Swap chocolate chunks for cacao nibs if desired.
Nadia
These are so quick and easy to make, last well, and most importantly taste delicious! Thank you for another great recipe!
Tahliah
Hi there can I sub for oat flour?
Sarah Bell
Hi Tahliah, I haven't tested this out myself so I couldn't be sure that it would work. Let me know how you go if you do try it!
Gemma Crinall
Hi Sarah,
Do you think I could sub buckwheat flour in these?
Thanks so much! Gemma
Sarah Bell
Hi Gemma, unfortunately I don't think buckwheat flour would work very well in this recipe. You could try swapping it for sunflower seed meal if you are avoiding nuts?
Aminta Favela
Omg! Just made this recipe and they are so delicious and satisfying. I was short about 2tbs of tahini and added almond butter to make up the 1 cup and it worked out great. As always Sarah's recipes are just perfect and delicious.
Aminta