First came my famous tahini brownies, followed by incredible blondies, millionaire bars, and eventually these amazing cookies. The Tahini Queenie back and I’m so excited to re-share one of my absolute favorite, easy desserts using tahini. Ready?
Say hello to these DAMN GOOD PALEO CHOCOLATE CHUNK TAHINI COOKIES. They’re gluten free, vegan-friendly, grain free and absolutely delicious. What more could you want? I first perfected them about 3 years ago and seriously couldn’t get enough. Perfectly crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle, and filled with puddles of dark chocolate.
I personally love to use chocolate chunks over chips in these cookies because of how melty and delicious they get, but you do you! These cookies are fabulous and SO easy to make. Enjoy them warm with a glass of almond, cashew or coconut milk. You’re going to love them!
Here’s what you need to make these tahini chocolate chip cookies
These paleo tahini chocolate chunk cookies are made with plenty of gluten free baking staples and are so easy to make. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Tahini: if you haven’t had tahini yet, then what are you waiting for? It’s just ground sesame seeds. My favorite brand is Soom foods, and you can use the code ‘ambitiouskitchen’ to get 10% off!
- Egg: you’ll just need 1 egg in this recipe. See below for an option to make them vegan!
- Coconut sugar: I love using coconut sugar in recipes because it’s an unrefined sugar replacement for brown sugar or regular sugar in most recipes. It keeps these cookies paleo.
- Coconut oil: Personally, I love using virgin coconut oil in this recipe. It keeps the cookies dairy free, and you’ll just need a couple of tablespoons.
- Flours: you’ll need fine, blanched almond flour and coconut flour in these cookies to keep them grain free and gluten free.
- Baking staples: don’t forget the baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt! Learn how to make your own vanilla extract here. I also like to sprinkle these with a little fancy Maldon sea salt after baking.
- Chocolate: Personally I love using a 72% dark chocolate bar in this recipe. I recommend coarsely chopping the chocolate so that it’s not overly small. You can also use 1/2 cup of chocolate chips if you’d like.
Simple ingredient swaps
I also recommend sticking with the recipe the best that you can (especially in baking), but if you’re out of a few ingredients or need to make some swaps here’s what I can suggest:
- For the coconut sugar: feel free to use brown sugar instead.
- For the tahini: I love the texture and flavor that the tahini gives these cookies but I think cashew butter would also work well.
- For the coconut oil: feel free to also use melted butter, vegan butter or ghee.
- For the coconut flour: I think that oat flour might work in this recipe, but please note that I have not tried it. Let me know in the comments if you do!
Can I make them vegan?
Yes! Feel free to use one flax egg in place of the regular in these chocolate chip tahini cookies. Learn how to make a flax egg here! Be sure to also use dairy free chocolate as well.
Don’t forget these cookie baking tips
- Do not use substitutes. Unless mentioned above or in the notes section, do not use any substitutes in these grain free tahini chocolate chip cookies. For example, almond flour should not be replaced with any other flour.
- Pack your almond flour. You can pack the almond flour just like you would with brown sugar. It makes all the difference!
- Use a room temperature egg. This will ensure that the coconut oil does not coagulate and cause the cookie dough to be super lumpy. Just place your egg in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes, or run warm water over the egg for a minute to bring it to room temp.
Storing & freezing tips
Feel free to keep these tahini chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, then transfer them to the fridge or freezer. Learn exactly how to freeze the cookie dough or the baked tahini cookies using this tutorial!
More paleo friendly desserts
Get all of our paleo dessert recipes here!
If you make these tahini chocolate chunk cookies, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below. You can also use the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram so I can see your creations! xo.
Damn Good Paleo Chocolate Chunk Tahini Cookies
Damn good paleo chocolate chip tahini cookies with puddles of dark chocolate in every bite. These incredible tahini cookies are perfectly sweet, chewy, gluten free, dairy free and grain free! Plus, they’re easy to make right in one bowl for the perfect dessert.
- Wet Ingredients:
-
1
egg* -
1/2
cup
coconut sugar -
1/4
cup
tahini -
2
tablespoons
melted and cooled coconut oil (melted butter or melted ghee will also work) -
1
teaspoon
vanilla extract - Dry Ingredients:
-
3/4
cup
fine packed almond flour -
1/4
cup
coconut flour -
1/4
teaspoon
baking soda -
1/4
teaspoon
salt -
1
(3 ounce) dark chocolate bar (at least 72%), coarsely chopped* - Fancy Maldon Salt, for sprinkling on top
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl, mix together the following: egg, coconut sugar, tahini, melted and cooled coconut oil and vanilla extract until smooth.
-
Next add the dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until a cookie dough consistency forms, then fold in the chocolate chunks.
-
Grab about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough with your hands and roll into a ball. Place ball on cookie sheet and flatten the top of dough a bit with the palm of your hand.
-
Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges are just slightly golden. We want to slightly underbake these so they stay gooey. Once done baking, immediately sprinkle with Maldon salt. Cool on cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes before removing from pan. Makes 10-12 cookies.
To make vegan: Feel free to use 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water) instead of an egg. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes before using. Be sure you are using a vegan chocolate as well.
Instead of chocolate chunks, you can feel free to use 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
See the full post for storing & freezing instructions, plus even more tips and tricks.
Nutrition
Servings: 12 cookies
Serving size: 1 cookie
Calories: 202kcal
Fat: 14.7g
Saturated fat: 5.2g
Carbohydrates: 16.7g
Fiber: 3.5g
Sugar: 10.5g
Protein: 4.4g
Recipe by: Monique // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on January 15th, 2019, and republished on March 1st, 2022.