Vegan chocolate cookies with tahini

Vegan chocolate cookies with tahini

vegan chocolate cookies tahini

Happy weekend, guys! I hope that, in contrast to us, you are enjoying some sun today. I’m so jealous. The skies have opened over Bristol today and it’s pouring. It’s so cold and miserable that our heating came on last night for the first time since spring and I can no longer kid myself that summer has not fully ended yet. I would be taking it a bit more on the chin, I think, if not for the fact that I woke up at 4:30 am this morning and could not fall back asleep again no matter how hard I tried, so I am not feeling terribly chirpy. I confess to being a total nightmare when sleep deprived…

Given the weather and my sluggish mind, today, of all days, calls for a bit of chocolate therapy in my opinion, so I made a tray of delicious chocolate cookies. They are easy and quick to make – there is no need to refrigerate the dough prior to baking although you can if you wish. I had hardened brownie lovers in mind (like myself) when I came up with this recipe as the texture of these cookies resembles that of a good brownie.

A crispy exterior shell reveals a decadently fudgy and intensely chocolatey interior adorned with pools of melted chocolate for an extra layer of indulgence. Having said that, compared to other similar cookies, these ones don’t use as much sugar and they contain no oil or margarine, I used tahini instead. You can replace tahini with any runny nut or seed butter or some vegan butter or coconut oil, if that’s what you have.

The key to these cookies is using aquafaba – that’s right, the water chickpeas have been cooked in that we all used to pour down the drain (how foolish!) until a French tenor discovered that it can be whipped up just like egg whites – genius! Many people feel funny about consuming aquafaba but as its long standing fan (I’ve been using it to develop vegan recipes since 2015), I can assure you that there isn’t anything to be afraid of. Well, unless you are legume intolerant, of course.

This plant protein enriched water is often used in traditional Middle-Eastern cooking to make hummus velvety smooth or to thicken stews. It whips up beautifully and, in many contexts, is the best waste-free egg replacer there is. It certainly makes these cookies special. Give them a go and share them with your non-vegan family and friends without telling them what they are made with. You won’t hear a peep of complaint, I promise.

vegan chocolate cookies tahini aquafaba

vegan chocolate cookies tahini key ingredients

vegan chocolate cookies dough

vegan chocolate cookies tahini tray

vegan chocolate cookies tahini side

makes
12
PREP
15 min
COOKING
10 min
makes
12
PREPARATION
15 min
COOKING
10 min
INGREDIENTS
  • 130 g / 4½ oz vegan 70% cocoa dark chocolate, divided
  • 80 ml / 1/3 cup aquafaba / chickpea brine*
  • 150 g / ¾ cup sugar*
  • 85 g / 1/3 cup runny tahini
  • 93 g / ¾ cup plain AP flour or GF flour mix
  • 35 g / 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp baking soda (GF certified if needed)
  • white sesame seeds, to garnish
METHOD
  1. Melt 100 g / 3½ oz chocolate very slowly over a bain marie / water bath. Make sure the bowl with chocolate does not touch the water underneath. Chop the rest of the chocolate into small chunks.
  2. Preheat the oven to 175° C / 345° F. Line a large baking tray with a piece of baking paper.
  3. Whip aquafaba with an electric whisk until thickened and full of tiny bubbles (there is no need to achieve stiff peaks for this recipe).
  4. Gradually add sugar to the aquafaba, whisking well after each addition.
  5. Using a spatula, fold still warm (otherwise the batter will get too stiff later on) melted chocolate into the aquafaba and sugar mixture until well combined.
  6. Fold in tahini.
  7. Place a sieve over the mixing bowl and sift in the dry ingredients in three batches. Incorporate each batch into the wet ingredients well, until no dry pockets remain. By the time you are done, the batter should be very thick.
  8. Dollop 2 heaped tbsp of batter per cookie on the prepared baking tray, making sure to leave plenty of space around each cookie. You may need to bake it in two batches. Adorn the cookies with chocolate chunks and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  9. Bake on the middle shelf for about 10 minutes, allow the cookies to cool off completely (they are fragile whilst warm) before eating. Store in an airtight container for 3 days.

NOTES
*AQUAFABA – from a tin / jar of low-sodium chickpeas or from homecooked chickpeas. There is no need to reduce it, just use as is.

*SUGAR – caster / castor sugar gives you the crispiest outer shell, but coconut sugar works well too!

This recipe is an adaptation of my flourless chocolate cookie recipe.

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
182
9%
sugars
16 g
18%
fats
8 g
12%
saturates
3 g
17%
proteins
4 g
8%
carbs
27 g
10%
*per cookie
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4.9
16 reviews, 20 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Jen:
this is one of my fav recipes! Have made them loads of times and they always go down a storm with friends and family! love that they're vegan & easily GF so inclusive to all :)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw thanks so much Jen, I am delighted to hear that you and your family and friends enjoy this recipe so much and thank you for taking the time to let me know - I really appreciate it. Ania
amelia:
Is there anything you can use instead of the aquafaba?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Amelia,
    I am pretty sure that ground flax activated in water and then whipped will work well too - see this recipe, but I haven't tried in this recipe so the amount is my best guess. I would use 2-3 tsp ground flax and 1/3 cup (80 ml) water. Hope it works out well.
Anna:
Awesome. I forgot to add the cocoa....and they were still delicious. My husband who apparantly doesn't like tahini thought they were great too. will definitely make these again (with cocoa powder next time 😄)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Anna, I am glad both you and your husband enjoyed these and that you are planning to make these again. Ania
Julia:
Somehow I ended up with only 7 instead of 12 cookies, but I think my interpretation of "heaped tbsp" was a bit generous - That being said, they still came out perfect and they're definitely some of the best cookies I've ever made, such a great recipe! :)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hahah, yeah, it does sound like you may have been more generous! I am pleased you enjoyed them so much and thank you for taking the time to review - I really appreciate it! Ania
Aisha:
Yum, these were so good! I reduced the sugar to 120g, which was perfect for me, but I wouldn’t recommend reducing the sugar much lower than this otherwise there won’t be enough to balance the bitterness of the cocoa powder. Loved the crispy edges and fudgy almost brownie-like inside along with the rich tahini chocolate flavour!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Aisha! I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed them and thank you for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it. x Ania
Michelle:
This recipe is amazing! Thank you Ania for another 'show stopper' of a recipe. I used chickpea flour and came out delish. Will be making these again for Christmas and dip the cookie in melted non-dairy chocolate and decorate with sprinkles. This will be a staple in my house.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw thank you, Michelle, I am very happy to hear that these cookies didn't disappoint and that you are already planning to make them again. And thank you for taking the time to review - I really appreciate it. x Ania
Brittney:
I am so happy with these yummy cookies! I used maple sugar as it’s all I had and still got a great crackle! Like that they are not overly sweet and it’s the perfect way to use the chickpea liquid I would normally throw away. I sprinkled with maldon salt when they came out of the oven ❤️
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Brittney, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed these cookies and found a new to use up chickpea cooking water. It's amazing, isn't it? If you loved these, you might enjoy these brownies too - they are great with and without the cheesecake layer. x Ania
Julie Belic:
I tried this tonight and they are so good, I will definitely make them again. Mine didn't go into a nice circle shape (but still tasted great), next time I will flatten them and maybe try smaller ones, and try cooking for longer to get the cracks in the top. I used coconut sugar though, maybe next time I will try white sugar to help with the cracking. Definitely worth doing again, a very rich and decadent cookie!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you Julie, I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed these and plan to make them again. The type of sugar used definitely impacts the texture of cookies so yes, caster sugar will make them crack like in my photos. Hope this helps! Ania
Lidia:
This recipe is awesome!! Tasted great heated up with vanilla ice cream. Thanks for sharing!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw thanks Lidia, I am so happy to hear that, it makes me really happy. x Ania
Susanna:
I am in a chocolatey mood and need to try this! Thank you
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hope you'll enjoy them. If you love chocolate, they are hard not to like :) x Ania
Rebecca:
I’ve had this recipe on my “to make” list since you first posted it. I finally made and, and wow. They are amazing. I had all the ingredients already in my house, so they were simple to make. Thanks for the recipe! What a great chocolatey way to bring in the New Year!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Yay, I am so pleased that you enjoyed these, Rebecca! And thank you so much for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it. x Ania
Aimee:
Hey Ania,
Mine have just come out the oven...smell divine!
I baked them in two goes, so the first I just put a spoonful of the batter and left a lot of room around incase they spread - but though they look great -rustic - they havent acheived that round cookie shape like yours... So the second lot, I pressed them down to more of a round cookie shape... Which did you do? The second batch also looks cool but dont seem to have those beautif cracks like yours ..
Can't wait to eat one just now!
X
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Aimee,
    Glad you liked them. I simply spooned them on and didn't flatten them at all. Although I stuck chunks of chocolate into the cookies so that's what might have caused the cracks. x Ania
      Rebecca:
      Aimee: You might have a cooler oven like mine. I ended up baking them for closer to 15 and the cracks started forming.
      Thank you, Ania! My clients were asking for vegan cookies and these were a huge hit!
      - Rebecca
        Ania
        Ania:
        Thanks Rebecca, I'm delighted to hear that they were a hit with your clients. x Ania
Tamar Darel Fossfeld:
Dear Ania,
What amazing cookies. My granddaughter says they're the best she's ever tasted. Definitely for keeps!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thank you so much, I'm delighted to hear that they were such a success! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave this lovely review - I really appreciate it as it helps my work to be seen! x Ania
Julie Elliott:
DELISH. What a fun treat. As a woman married to someone lactose intolerant it is always an adventure to find desserts that still taste like a dessert! This one nailed it. While I usually make the sweet potato cake by Lazy Cat Kitchen I thought I would try this new recipe. I am thinking we will need to have both from here on out. They were gone in 2.5 days.
(ps. i used egg whites and they turned out fab)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Julie, I'm happy you and your husband enjoyed them. x Ania
Jodie:
These are so delicious! Love the texture and they're incredibly chocolatey. Will definitely be making them again - thanks for the recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Jodie! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed them and plan to make them again - so lovely to hear! And thank you for returning to review this recipe - I really appreciate it! x Ania
Miche:
I made this recipe today, it was easy to follow the instructions and the cookies came out of the oven smelling like heaven. My daughter followed her nose into the kitchen and ate two before they had time to cool. She loved them, the outside was crisp and the inside was fudgey like a brownie. My husband and I had two each before they disappeared. I will definitely be making them again, and again, and again.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much for your kind words, Michelle! I'm so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed these and that you found them easy to make. And thank you so much for taking the time to leave this review - I really appreciate it. Ania
Irene Cheng:
Hi, do you use the aquafaba as it is from tim or discard the liquid? Am tempted to try this recipe. Thanks a lot ya.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Irene,
    Yes, the liquid found in a can or jar (if you are worried about BPA etc.) of chickpeas is what you want. You can also just cook chickpeas at home and use the cooking water. Hope this helps! Ania
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