White Tahini and Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookies

White tahini pairs nicely with bittersweet chocolate and brown sugar for a slightly nuttier and more interesting twist on a chocolate chip cookie. Crispier outside and fudgier middles are always winners.

This dough is super versatile, so check the variations at the bottom if you want to make the marbled cookies and bars from the photos. Or if an earthier version is more your speed maybe the Black Tahini variation will scratch that itch.

Adapted from Emma Laperruque's recipe for Food52.

Ingredients

• 8 oz Tahini
• 7 oz Granulated White Sugar
• 5 oz Light Brown Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs
• 3 tbsp Water
• 1 tbsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
• 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 9 oz All-Purpose Flour
• 12 oz Bittersweet Chocolate Morsels

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF, and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream the tahini and the sugars by hand or in a stand-mixer with the paddle attachment. This mixture will not act like creamed butter and sugar, it will stay crumbly. Mix until it is well combined, then move on.
3. Add the eggs, water, and salt, and mix until smooth and glossy.
4. Add the salt, soda, and flour. Mix just to combine, do not overwork the dough. Once there are only a couple small streaks of unincorporated flour left, fold in the white chocolate chips by hand with a flexible spatula, making sure to incorporate any pockets of flour left at the bottom of the bowl.
5. Portion into 1.5 oz mounds on the cookie sheet, pressing them flat until they're about a half-inch thick with dampened fingers since this dough won't spread as much as a butter-based dough.
6. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the edges are set and appear dry. The middles should appear steamy with just the tiniest hint of moisture left at the surface. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.

Variations

Black Tahini and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prepare as directed above, replacing the 8 oz. of Tahini with 8 oz. of Black Tahini, available in some asian grocery stores and online. I also recommend replacing the bittersweet chocolate morsels with the same amount (12 oz) of either chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips. This version gives you a pitch black cookie that carries a more earthy flavor, and the creamy cloying sweetness of the white chocolate tempers it perfectly.

Marbled Tahini Cookies

The original recipe above and the black tahini variant mesh extremely well. To make some pretty marbled cookies prepare one batch of the White Tahini and Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookie dough, and one batch of the Black Tahini and White Chocolate Chip Cookie dough. For more control of your marbling, you can take chunks of each dough and press them together to form 1.5 oz portions. This method will give you clearer distinction between the two doughs in the baked cookies. Once portioned, place on the lined baking sheet, flatten with dampened fingers to 1/2" thickness and bake as directed above.

If you want them to be truly streaky and marbled, dump both doughs into the same bowl, and fold them together with a flexible spatula once or twice. Do not overdo it. You don't want them to become homogeneous at all. The doughs will continue to streak as you scoop up the 1.5 oz portions, and you can always knead the doughs just a bit after portioning if it isn't blended enough for your liking. Once portioned, place on the lined baking sheet, flatten with dampened fingers to 1/2" thickness and bake as directed above.

Marbled Tahini Bars

This recipe will make two 8x8" pans of bars. If desired, the recipe can be halved to just make a single pan, or you can do what I do and make a single pan of bars, then use the remaining dough to make cookies.

Start with one batch of the White Tahini and Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookie dough, and one batch of the Black Tahini and White Chocolate Chip Cookie dough. Carefully fold one of the doughs into the other, stopping after 2-3 folds. Dump half of the dough into a parchment-lined 8x8" metal pan and using dampened fingers, press the dough to cover the pan in an even layer.

Bake at 350ºF for 30-40 minutes until the top has lost its shine, and it springs back when gently poked. You can pull them out a bit before this if you like your bars underdone and gooey.