These vegan tahini chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy in the middle, slightly crisp around the edges and packed with dark chocolate. Tahini gives them a deep, nutty flavour, while fresh orange adds just enough citrus to cut through all that richness. A little orange chocolate and sea salt on top finish them off.
And no, these aren’t trying to be healthy cookies. They’re just really good cookies that happen to be vegan.
The story behind these tahini orange chocolate chip cookies
These cookies weren’t actually planned.
I started by looking through Israeli tahini cookie recipes because I wanted to make a chocolate chip cookie where tahini wasn’t just an extra spoonful added for the sake of it. If I’m making tahini cookies, I want to actually taste the tahini.
Somewhere along the way, orange entered the picture. I had an orange sitting in the kitchen and a little orange chocolate left over, and suddenly tahini, dark chocolate and orange sounded much more interesting than the cookies I had originally planned.
I loved the idea of using tahini with olive oil rather than trying to recreate a traditional butter-based chocolate chip cookie. I added fresh orange juice and zest, chopped up plenty of dark chocolate and kept the orange chocolate for the top. The orange isn’t supposed to take over. It’s there in the background, just enough to brighten the tahini and dark chocolate.
The dough smelled incredible, so naturally I thought I had everything figured out.
I did not.
About five minutes into baking, I looked through the oven door and my beautiful cookies were still sitting there like enormous balls. No spreading. Nothing.
I eventually pulled out the tray, flattened every cookie and put them back into the oven, fully expecting this first batch to become one of those great idea, needs work experiments.
Instead, they were ridiculously good.
The centres stayed soft and chewy, the edges had just a little crispness and there were pockets of melted dark chocolate everywhere. You get the nutty tahini first, followed by dark chocolate and then a little orange in the background.
While they were still warm, I pushed a couple of tiny pieces of orange chocolate into each one and finished them with sea salt.
And that was it. The accidental first batch became the recipe.
Always selective, never restrictive. Sometimes, apparently, also slightly chaotic.
Ingredients you’ll need
Tahini
Use 100% sesame tahini, preferably one that’s smooth and fairly runny. Tahini naturally separates in the jar, so give it a really thorough stir before weighing it.
Olive oil
I use a mild extra virgin olive oil. You don’t need the strongest, pepperiest olive oil you can find here. It should contribute richness and a little flavour without dominating the cookie.
Brown and white sugar
I use both. Brown sugar helps give the cookies their softer, chewier centre, while white sugar helps with the edges and overall structure.
Fresh orange
Both fresh orange juice and zest go into the dough. The orange is noticeable but doesn’t turn these into orange-flavoured cookies with a little tahini thrown in.
Dark chocolate
Use a good dark chocolate bar and chop it yourself rather than relying entirely on chocolate chips. You’ll get tiny shards throughout the dough as well as those bigger melted pools of chocolate.
Orange chocolate
This is optional, but I love it here. I don’t mix it into the dough. Instead, I press a couple of small pieces into each cookie as soon as they come out of the oven.
Sesame seeds and sea salt
I like rolling the outside of the cookies lightly in sesame seeds before baking. Finish them with a few flakes of sea salt while they’re still warm.
Vegan Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies with Orange
Course: DessertCuisine: Middle Eastern-inspiredDifficulty: Easy14
servings15
minutes11
minutes267
kcalIngredients
120 g tahini, well stirred
70 g mild extra virgin olive oil
110 g dark brown sugar
70 g white sugar
45 g fresh orange juice
finely grated zest from approximately ½ orange
seeds from ½ vanilla pod
210 g plain flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine salt
150–160 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
sesame seeds, for coating
a little orange chocolate, cut into small pieces
flaky sea salt, to finish
Directions
- Mix the sugar and orange zest.
Add the brown and white sugars to a large bowl. Add the orange zest and rub it into the sugar with your fingertips. This helps release those fragrant oils from the zest. - Add the wet ingredients.
Add the tahini, olive oil, orange juice and seeds from half a vanilla pod. Mix until everything is smooth and evenly combined. - Add the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add them to the tahini mixture and mix just until you can no longer see dry flour. Don’t keep working the dough once it has come together. - Add the chocolate.
Fold in the roughly chopped dark chocolate. I like having a mixture of smaller shards and larger chunks rather than perfectly even pieces. - Chill the dough.
Cover and refrigerate the dough overnight. If you don’t have that long, give it at least a few hours. - Shape the cookies.
Divide the dough into portions of approximately 60 g. Roll them gently, coat the outside lightly with sesame seeds and then flatten each portion into a thick disc rather than leaving it as a tall ball.
That last part matters. I discovered it the entertaining way during the first batch. - Bake.
Arrange the cookies on a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving plenty of room between them.
Bake on the middle shelf at 175°C conventional / top and bottom heat for approximately 11–13 minutes.
Look at the cookies rather than relying entirely on the timer. The edges should look set, while the centres should still look soft. Don’t wait until the centres look completely baked or you’ll lose that chewy texture as they cool. - Finish while warm.
As soon as they come out of the oven, press a couple of tiny pieces of orange chocolate into the top of each cookie and finish with a few flakes of sea salt.
Leave the cookies on the baking tray for around 15 minutes before moving them. They’ll be very soft when hot and will continue to set as they cool.
Notes
- For the best texture, shape the dough into thick discs rather than tall balls, as these cookies don’t spread dramatically on their own.
Don’t wait for the cookies to look completely baked before taking them out of the oven. The edges should be set, while the centres should still look and feel very soft. They will continue to set from the residual heat of the baking tray.
Leave the cookies on the tray for around 15 minutes before moving them. This is what gives them their soft, chewy centres without overbaking.
For extra pools of chocolate, press a few pieces of orange chocolate into the tops while the cookies are still warm, then finish with a little flaky sea salt.
Don’t overbake – a slightly underdone-looking centre is exactly what you want.
Frequently Asked Questions :
How do you know when the cookies are done?
This is probably the most important part of the recipe. Don’t wait for the cookies to become firm in the oven. The edges should look set, but the centres should still be very soft when you take them out.
They will continue to set from the residual heat of the baking tray as they cool. Leave them on the tray for around 15 minutes before moving them. This is what gives you that soft, chewy centre rather than a dry, overbaked cookie.
Do these cookies taste strongly of tahini?
Yes, you can taste the tahini, and that’s intentional. These aren’t regular chocolate chip cookies with a spoonful of tahini hidden somewhere in the dough.
The nutty sesame flavour is an important part of the cookie, balanced by dark chocolate, fresh orange and a little sea salt. If you already love tahini, that’s probably the reason you’re here.
Can I leave out the orange?
Yes, but you’ll need to replace the 45 g of orange juice with the same amount of plant milk so you’re not removing liquid from the dough.
Personally, I wouldn’t leave it out. The fresh citrus works beautifully with tahini and dark chocolate, and it’s one of the things that makes these cookies a little different.
Can I skip the orange chocolate?
Absolutely. The orange chocolate on top is a finishing touch rather than an essential part of the recipe.
You’ll still have fresh orange juice and zest in the dough, so the cookies will keep that subtle citrus flavour without it.
Can I use chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate?
Yes, but chopped chocolate gives these cookies a slightly different texture. Because the pieces aren’t uniform, you get tiny flecks of chocolate throughout the dough as well as larger melted pockets.
Chocolate chips will still work, but for these cookies, I prefer roughly chopped dark chocolate.
