Salted Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Danielle Oron

Adapted by Julia Moskin

Updated August 4, 2024

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
45 minutes, plus 12 hours' refrigeration
Rating
5(6,756)
Comments
Read comments

When the chef Danielle Oron was growing up in the New Jersey suburbs, she knew that her Israeli family’s habits of dousing vanilla ice cream with tahini and spreading halvah on toast would be considered odd. Sesame has long been shunned in American desserts, but its addition to a confection can add a nutty, salty undertone, and sesame desserts are now popping up all over the place. These chocolate chip cookies, developed by Ms. Oron, are a great place to start for the home baker seeking more sesame. Rich, savory and sweet, they are one of the rare variations that are just as good as the original. —Julia Moskin

Featured in: Sesame Extends Its Sweet Reach Beyond the Middle East

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:12 to 18 cookies

  • 8 tablespoons/113 grams unsalted butter at room temperature

  • ½ cup/120 milliliters tahini, well stirred

  • 1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons/150 grams all-purpose flour, or matzo cake meal (See tip)

  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

  • ½ teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 ¾ cups/230 grams chocolate chips or chunks, bittersweet or semisweet

  • Flaky salt, like fleur de sel or Maldon

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

40 grams carbs; 41 milligrams cholesterol; 306 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 157 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 23 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, tahini and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and continue mixing at medium speed for another 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and kosher salt into a large bowl and mix with a fork. Add flour mixture to butter mixture at low speed until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in chocolate chips. Dough will be soft, not stiff. Refrigerate at least 12 hours; this ensures tender cookies.

  3. Step 3

    When ready to bake, heat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking mat. Use a large ice cream scoop or spoon to form dough into 12 to 18 balls.

  4. Step 4

    Place the cookies on the baking sheet at least 3 inches apart to allow them to spread. Bake 13 to 16 minutes until just golden brown around the edges but still pale in the middle to make thick, soft cookies. As cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle sparsely with salt. Let cool at least 20 minutes on a rack.

Tip

  • To make this recipe kosher for Passover, substitute matzo cake meal for the all-purpose flour.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
6,756 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Shaila M

Second time w/the following tweaks. Turned out much better:
+ Upped tahini to 3/4 cup (same browned butter)
+ Used 2 whole eggs
+ Used whole bag of Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (srsly, NY Times, why skimp on chocolate in these dire days?)
+ Used small cookie scoop and got 3 dozen out of batch
+ Pressed dough scoops flat and sprinkled unbaked tops with mix of black sesame seeds and fleur de sel
+ Baked at 350 convection for 15 mins

Not quite chewy but crisp and rich - more of a halva flavor

Roni Jordan

The best part of this recipe is not adjusting the ingredients.

Roni Jordan

These are like chocolate halvah cookies - simply scrumptious. I used Roland Sesame Tahini and TJ's 70% bittersweet chocolate broken into small chunks. Used a 2 tbsp measuring spoon to portion out 17 cookies. Baked for 16 minutes and allowed to cool about an hour before partaking. Important to allow them room to spread. 12 fit nicely on a cookie sheet, and then baked 2nd batch of 5. Sprinkled a bit of kosher salt over all. A real winner - could be my favorite cookie ever.

AliceM

These are, without a doubt, the best Chocolate Chip cookies ever. I made them for my husband's fishing trip and his friends came home ready to kiss my feet!

Joan

Dee-lish! I followed some of the reviewer's advice and browned the butter, and also used 1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 granulated sugar. Also, I used 2 whole eggs. I have too many frozen egg whites in my freezer as it is. I normally like thicker, chewier cookies, but loved these thin crisp babies! I'll definitely be making these again. Maybe I'll try the smaller version.

Polly D

Here's the problem: these cookies are too delicious. I warn you. You will eat 24 in 2 days. I've made them 15(?) times since discovering them 3 months ago and the best batch was when I let them chill in the fridge for 48 hours by mistake. They slap every time. Thank you for these.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted from "Modern Israeli Cooking" by Danielle Oron

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.