
Sometimes you need a giant, gooey cookie all to yourself at pretty much the drop of a hat. I’ve stated it many times, but I’ll say it again: I’m not one for larger scale baking projects or baking in general really. But a singular, mega-sized, totally gooey, grain-free tahini chocolate chunk cookie made with a bunch of pantry stuff that I have hanging around? I will get down with that repeatedly. I have to also add that it comes together super quickly and has a very relaxed 10 ingredients.
Realistically I would put this mega cookie at two servings! The tahini and almond base make it super rich and slightly gooey. I love the slightly bitter sesame edge here and it plays really well with dark chocolate and the teeny sprinkle of flaky salt. My favourite tahini of all time is by Soom. It’s all definitely sweet and rich, but complex as well.
Exactly my kind of treat! I’m celebrating my birthday today and I would honestly take one of these over cake. More tahini goodness in the form of an orange scented granola here and if grain-free treats are your thing, you should definitely try these brownies.
We’re in for a snow/ice storm today, so I’m spending it cozied up with my man and our dogs at home. So grateful for another year, and as always, deeply thankful for all of you that read and follow along here. Hope you’re having a great week! Sending love and a (biiiig) grain-free tahini chocolate chunk cookie :)
Jumbo Grain-Free Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookie
Ingredients
COOKIE:
- 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon almond meal (or hazelnut/sunflower seed meal)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 oz 28 grams dark, dairy-free chocolate, chopped (or 2 tablespoons chocolate chips)
GARNISH:
- flaky sea salt
- cacao nibs
- sesame seeds
Notes
- Make sure that your tahini is well-stirred and drippy! You could substitute any nut/seed butter you like as long as it’s drippy and smooth. I just like saying “drippy” lol.
- I chopped up part of a chocolate bar here, but 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips will do the trick too!
- If you baked this in a little skillet and served it warm with vegan ice cream, I could definitely see myself becoming your best friend. Just a suggestion! ;)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the ground flaxseed and water. Stir vigorously and then set aside for 5 minutes, allowing it to thicken/turn to a gel consistency.
- In a medium bowl, combine the almond meal, salt, cinnamon (if using), and baking soda. Stir to combine. Then, add the flaxseed gel, maple syrup, tahini, avocado oil, and vanilla. Using a spatula, stir until the thick and slightly wet dough is combined and there are no dry spots.
- Add the chocolate chunks to the cookie dough and fold them in until evenly distributed throughout.
- Transfer the cookie dough to the baking sheet and press it out into an even circle that is uniformly 1-inch thick. Sprinkle the top of the cookie with flaky salt, cacao nibs, and sesame seeds.
- Bake the grain-free tahini chocolate chunk cookie until the edges are browned and small cracks appear, about 10 minutes. Let the cookie cool completely (about 30 minutes) on the baking sheet before enjoying.
So good! I doubled up the recipe and made 4 smaller cookies, stayed in the oven fir 15mins and came out with the most perfect crispy outside and chewy middle with a wholesome and multi-layered flavour.
Had a lovely time making these and will definitely be coming back to the recipe since my partner said they’re the best cookies he’s tried!
Loved the fact that it only makes 1 or 2 cookies, perfect for a single person who doesn’t want to have a lot of sweets left around. I made one large (5 inch) 1/2 inch thick cookie out of it. I just made 2 substitutions in the recipe. I used unsweetened applesauce in place of the oil, and I used Soom chocolate with sea salt tahini in place of regular tahini. Delicious!
I am obsessed with these!
Delicious cookie! Used peanut butter instead of tahini because……peanut butter!
I enthusiastically approve!! :)
-L
Made the tahini cookie. I used applesauce instead of oil . I don’t use oil . Turned out great!
Made the tahini cookie. I used applesauce instead of oil since I don’t do oil. Turned out great!
I’ve made this and it is great! Would whole wheat flower work in replacement of the almond meal?
A go-to recipe. A lovely treat, particularly on these cold, wet days of January. Thank you.
This recipe has been my go to for the last year! I honestly make it a couple times a week because it’s so delicious but only takes a few minutes to make. Highly recommend!
This recipe has become a household staple for a quick and satisfying treat! I’ll also double it for 2 jumbo cookies when sharing isn’t the vibe.
This is a quick, super easy recipe. I wouldn’t change a thing!
Perfect size for my mini cast iron! Thanks for normalizing small batch recipes :) how do you think this would do freezing before baking?
I’ve made this cookie a hundred times at this point and it’s the best. It’s delicious, easy and perfect for sharing! I’m not a huge poster or commenter but I am trying to be better about sharing the love for great recipes. Thank you for your recipes, they are all so good, and this one in particular is a favorite.
Hi Sarah!
I so appreciate this and am glad that you’re enjoying this cookie so much :)
-L
There is NO WAY these are cooling for 30 mins before enjoying. They’re lucky if they get 2!
So good! I subbed coconut flour for almond flour [followed a somewhat proper ratio] and it came out great!
This has been our go-to cookie during the pandemic. We are gluten-free, and although we tend to eat relatively healthy and always have these ingredients on hand, I wondered if this cookie might taste “too healthy” for us….Nope! It is just the right amount of delicious sweet gooeyness. Sometimes I skip the cinnamon, and sometimes I add cardamom. Sesame seeds are our preferred topping. Thank you so much for this quick, comforting yumminess!
Can eggs be used to replace flax seed?!
Given the size of this cookie, I think an egg yolk or a 1-2 tablespoons of whisked egg might be the best bet. A whole egg would be excessive in terms of moisture! I’m vegan and have not tested this variation so unfortunately cannot guarantee any sort of result here.
-L
Thank you! I’ll let you know if it works!
So delicious! Definitely couldn’t wait the 30 min to eat it up. I used almond flour & added a little more maple syrup on the 2nd batch! Such a fun treat as we are starting to get some cooler nights in Southern Ca.
Almond flour can be used interchangeably with almond meal right?
Most of the time, yes. In this recipe, you could use either!
-L
This is an AMAZING quick recipe . I love that it’s for one cookie. I only had dark 70% organic mint chocolate and it turned out so good.. the flavors were phenomenal!!!
It’s cruel to ask people to wait 30 minutes for the cookie to cool and totally unnessecary.
The perfect self-isolation cookie.
yum.
Wow! This cookie is irresistible. Luckily I baked two, so my hubbie had his all to himself, otherwise he’d surely have devoured mine too. Seriously good, even a day later, as I am having it with my chicory coffee. The salt and sesame on top is irresistible. Great work
Do you think walnut meal might work? I have a whole bag of it in my freezer and have been looking for ways to use it!
Hi Christine,
I think walnut meal should substitute fine here! Do let me know what it’s like if you test it out.
-L
This looks amazing! Do you think chickpea flour would work?
Hi Ashley,
Sometimes substituting flours is not as simple as a one-for-one swap. Chickpea flour definitely will change the flavour of this cookie. Its lower fat content will also significantly change the texture (likely more bread-y and dense). I haven’t tried this substitution personally, but from a brief consideration, I wouldn’t recommend it.
-L
Excellent recipe! Thank you for specifying waiting until completely cool (30min) – otherwise it would have been too crumbly. Was worth the wait.
Added tahini drizzle when cookie cooled and it was delicious.
This looks amaaaaaazing! Tahini is life for me so definitely trying this. I’ll let you know how it goes :)
I really loved your old logo so much it was just perfect! This one seems more business-y :(
Hi Colu,
Thanks for your message. I felt that it was time for a change and I’m really happy with it. The quality of the recipes and content that I post here will remain the same :)
-L
I made a triple recipe of these last night with ground sunflower seeds (a friend is allergic to almonds) and they were THE BEST. also they turned blue inside? strange but not actually unappetizing–it just made my toddler even more into them!
Hey Samantha! This is something I always try to note when suggesting sunflower seed meal in a baking recipe, but I think I forgot this time. So sorry! Something about the combination of sunflower seeds and baking soda results in blue-ish to green-tinged baked goods! I will edit the recipe notes to reflect this. Glad that your toddler was into them though! :)
-L
5 stars!! I made this cookie and was surprised by how easy it was to make and how incredible it tasted!! I was a few tablespoons short of almond flour but they still turned out delicious!!! Thank you!!
Could you make these as smaller cookies also?
Yes definitely! They may need less baking time though.
-L
Hope your birthday was a wonderful time of gathering the good memories and looking forward to your new year with anticipation. I baked the cookie in a small cast iron skillet and served with B&J’s dairy free chocolate fudge brownie frozen ice cream. Delicious! Thank you for another wonderful “love animals” recipe.
I just made this jumbo cookie and it was PERFECT. Super gooey, delicious and so simple! Will definitely make it again. Thank you Laura for another fabulous recipe:) I hope you had the loveliest birthday xx
These look amazing! Do you think almond pulp (leftover from making almond milk) would work for the meal?
Hi Jessica!
I think almond pulp would work, but it should be dried out in the oven at a low temperature before using here. Similar to this recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-almond-meal-from-almond-pulp/
-L
Just made these! Doubled the recipe and made 5 cookies. SO GOOD! xx
This cookie is everything! Can’t wait to make it :) *bday hugs*
This cookie came together so quick! I use almond butter because no tahini on hand but they are just as good (though without that edge tahini would give them, I’m sure).
Thank you for this!!
Do you think coconut meal would work as well? I had a small pantry problem and had to throw out loads of stuff :/ so it’s the only thing I have on hand a.t.m. … and I really want one now, you know.. to celebrate your birthday ;)
Tried it :) It was… ok.
Restocking on the almond meal asap :)
Happy birthday Laura! February birthday people are special.
Oooo, I love me some tahini based cookies, especially with chocolate and flaky sea salt. Hope you have a very cozy birthday!
Simple & fabulous!
Gorgeous cookie and plate! Happy Birthday Laura! Happy celebrating! :)
I’m definitely making this soon. Happy Birthday!
Def gonna make this! Happy Birthday and thanks for all of the delicious recipes!
If not needing to be grain free, do you think other flour like all-purpose, wheat/spelt, or oat would work here?
Hi Amy!
Theoretically those flours could work, but I tested this recipe specifically to be grain-free. I don’t think it would be an easy one-for-one swap unfortunately. You might be more successful working from a more traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe!
-L
I just tried it with oat flour because I am out of almonds. I had to add some plant milk because the batter was too dry. Its in the oven now. I will report back!
These look amazing! We’re in for the same snow storm so staying in and making cookies sounds like the perfect plan! Love your fluted-edge plates too. Where did you get them?
Happy Birthday!
Thanks for this Jo-Ann. I got the fluted plate at a local boutique called Olive & Rust. Their website is here: https://www.oliverandrust.com/
-L
Thanks so much for sharing that info. Looks like a gorgeous shop!
Happy Birthday ! These look fantastic.
These look fantastic…can’t wait to try them. Happy Birthday!
I have always wanted to try make cookies with tahini! I think I need to try these out ASAP.
xo, Victoria