Jun 11

Jun 11 Tahini & Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s pretty difficult to improve upon a classic. Chocolate chip cookies… amazing. Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies… a perfect combination. Tahini chocolate chip cookies… WHAT? Once I tried this combination of savory, smoky tahini paste and sweet, creamy milk chocolate my life was changed for the better! And the texture is everything I look for in a cookie; crispy but chewy, on the thinner side but with lots of chocolatey lumps and bumps! They are as picture perfect as they are satisfying, so you can feel confident serving them for an afterschool snack and at the local bake sale. Plus, everyone will want to know what that incredible secret ingredient is. (I tell them “love” of course!)

Hand stirring the chips into the dough incorporates them more evenly and gently than the stand mixer, without overworking the dough.

Ingredients:

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup tahini paste
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
one egg, room temperature
one egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 (11.5 ounce) bag milk chocolate chips
sea salt flakes (such as Maldon) for sprinkling on top

Milk chocolate chips are really great balance to the savory tahini paste; even more so than traditional semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, I think.

Directions:

In large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and tahini until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and mix 3-4 minutes, until well combined.

Add the egg and egg yolk one at a time, mix for another minute. Add in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend again for another few seconds.

Slowly add the flour mixture, in three separate additions, until just combined. Do not over mix.

Stir in the chocolate chips by hand with a wooden spoon. Press plastic wrap to the top of the dough mixture to prevent it from drying out, and refrigerate the dough for 12 to 24 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°. Space cookies 3-4 inches apart on a parchment or silicone lined cookie sheets, sprinkle sparingly with sea salt flakes. Bake each batch of cookies for approximately 12 minutes. (They will puff up slightly and appear underdone in the centers, but the edges will be browned and dry.)

Let them cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack or cookie jar. Enjoy!

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies