Cookies With Salted Chocolate Chips And Tahini

This recipe always seems to come up when I mention "Chocolate Chip Cookies." I've been making chocolate chip cookies my entire life and am always excited to try new ones. I've made them with various flours, various types (and sizes) of chocolate, some with nuts (or cocoa nibs), and some without. The salt in chocolate chip cookies may be in the butter or sprinkled on top in some cases. Or they could have a double dose of chocolate in them.

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But I haven't done much messing with the butter because it's one of the non-negotiables in chocolate chip cookies for me. But when I discovered tahini, my devotion to butter was called into question.

You (and I) can relax because, while these chocolate chip cookies do contain butter, they also contain sesame paste, a common ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking that I always keep on hand. So, despite the fact that I thought I'd done everything a man could do to a chocolate chip cookie, I was finally ready to tackle a batch of these chocolate chip cookies.

The recipe is adapted from Danielle Oron's Modern Israeli Cooking, which was also featured in the New York Times. In addition to having everything on hand, they were simple to make, and the soft sesame paste created a dough that was difficult not to nibble on before baking.

Rather than using chocolate chips, I prefer to chop chocolate for chocolate chip cookies. I have nothing against chocolate chips, but the majority of them are made of baking-resistant chocolate, which is designed to keep its shape once baked. I like big, oozing chunks of chocolate in my chocolate chip cookies, and I care less about how they look than how they taste.

So I cut a block of chocolate in half and made my own. Some manufacturers are now producing chocolate "chunks," which may or may not have similar properties, but chopping a block of chocolate, while a bit messy, transports me to one of my happy places. And I'm perfectly content to make my own chips, or chunks, as the case may be.

These cookies were some of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever baked, and I don't say that lightly. The tahini imparts a mildly savory flavor with a faint musky undertone that pairs remarkably well with dark chocolate and a pinch of salt, so don't be afraid to use a highly flavored chocolate. I adjusted the original recipe a little to make them chewier, and couldn't stop myself from adding even more chocolate. But who can blame me?

Cookies with Salted Chocolate Chips and Tahini

Adapted from Danielle Oron's Modern Israeli Cooking: 100 New Recipes for Traditional Classics. For these cookies, I used chopped chocolate rather than chocolate chips because I wanted large chunks of oozing chocolate rather than little bits of chocolate here and there. (However, feel free to use chips if you prefer.) When I chop chocolate for cookies, I usually combine any small bits and pieces on the cutting board with the larger chunks. But I wanted distinct, more assertive chocolate pieces for these, so I sorted through and only used large chunks, saving the smaller bits for another baking project.

I baked these cookies in larger portions first, then in smaller portions, and provided baking times for each. Because every oven is different, it's important to use visual elements rather than precise minutes and numbers to tell when they're done, no matter what size you bake them in. Keep an eye on them in the last few minutes of baking; the cookies are done when the center is pale and the edges are browned. It's important to note that the dough tastes best after it's rested in the refrigerator overnight. If you really can't wait, you could bake them sooner.

Servings

8 tbsp (115g/4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup (120ml) tahini, thoroughly mixed

1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (90g)

1 large room temperature egg

1 large yolk of an egg

a tsp vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour (150g)

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt

2 cup (280g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chunks or chips

Maldon or fleur de sel flaky sea salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, tahini, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, or until fluffy. (Alternatively, the dough can be made in a large mixing bowl and stirred with a spatula.)
Scrape down the sides of the mixer. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla extract and mix for another minute, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the eggs are incorporated.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and kosher or sea salt. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer on low speed until just combined, then add the chocolate chips. Avoid overmixing.
Refrigerate the dough overnight, covered.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (160 degrees Celsius). Use tissue paper or silicone baking mats to line two baking sheets.
Using an ice cream scoop or your hands, shape the cookies into rounds. Make each cookie 1 1/2-inch (3,5cm) round for small cookies, and 2-inch (5cm) round for larger cookies. Place them three inches (8cm) apart on the baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time in the middle rack of the oven, so you can keep an eye on them.
Bake the cookies, turning the baking sheet halfway through baking, until golden brown around the edges but still pale in the center. 12 minutes for small cookies, 14 to 15 minutes for larger cookies. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and cool the cookies on the baking sheet. Bake the rest of the cookies in the same manner.