Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

I started out my whole cooking journey with baking. I used to make cakes and cupcakes almost every week, but it wasn’t until the last year of high school that I got into baking cookies.

After loads of research, and 8 different tests…. I present you my recipe for tahini choc chip cookies. A gooey middle, that goes out into chewy with crispy edges.

Tip: I highly recommend using a real choc bar to make the chips, they become gooey and melt more than chocolate chips that tend to stay their shape. The cookie can also be made with soft dark brown sugar.

prep/baking time: 20-30 mins+ resting time

Makes: 14-16 cookies

Ingredients

3 tbsp (38g) butter

1 cup (130g) flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup packed (105g) soft light brown sugar

3 tbsp (35g) granulated sugar

1/3 cup (75g) tahini

1 1/4 cup (200g) chocolate bar, chopped into chips

sesame seeds, to roll in, optional

Method

1. In a pot on medium heat, add in butter, stir until it starts to foam and eventually turns brown, this will take around 5-10 minutes. You know the butter has browned when you can smell a nutty aroma. Take off the heat and pour into a small bowl, leave to cool.

2. In another bowl add all dry ingredients together: flour, baking soda, salt, whisk to incorporate.

3. In a separate bigger bowl, whisk egg, egg yolk, vanilla and both sugars together until thick and creamy. Drizzle in the tahini and browned butter, whisk until it incorporates- this will thicken the mixture slightly.

4. Switching to a spatula, fold the dry ingredients along with the chocolate chips into the sugar mixture until there are no dry spots left. The dough will be soft- cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight (overnight is the best method as flavours will mesh together and intensify.)

5. Take the cookie dough out from the fridge and create balls of 2 tbsp worth of dough. Roll the balls into the sesame seeds- this is an optional step.

6. In the meantime, put a parchment lined baking sheet into the oven, and pre-heat to 190°C (fan.)

7. When the oven has come up to temperature, add the balls of cookie dough onto the lined baking sheet, spacing them out by about 7 cm, bake for 9-12 minutes, or until evenly golden. Take out and place on a cooling rack. They are best enjoyed when still slightly warm.

*It can also be baked from frozen. After shaping and rolling in the sesame, pop them into the freezer. They bake at 190°C fan, from frozen until the edges go golden brown, it may take a little longer than 9-12 mins.