Ahoy, matey.

That was me running with the sea salt theme. ANYWAY…

These cookies will make you want to break out in song. I tried to think of inspired lyrics but I kept coming back to: “Cookies, you are delicious. Why are you so amazing, yeaaaahhhh.” (Sung to a jazz tune while snapping your fingers). I’m not winning any Grammys, but I feel like it captures the mood pretty well.

I decided to make these partly because I was craving a chocolate chip cookie, and partly because I was inspired by an Israeli dinner that I recently went to. My friend Rachel made tahini shortbread cookies, and we both kept saying to each other, what if these had chocolate chips inside? A quick Google search turned up this recipe and I decided to roll with it.

A word to the wise: You will definitely want to freeze the dough overnight before baking the cookies. I was tempted to skip this step (immediate gratification and all), but I promise that if you suck it up and wait, you will be rewarded with some of the best chocolate chip cookies that you have ever tasted. I don’t make that promise lightly.

I took the cookies out of the oven once they were done baking, and went and got coffee and a bagel sandwich. I came back to my apartment to eat one once they had cooled. The cookies taste amazing on their own, but I would also recommend dunking them in coffee with half and half or milk. The coffee/chocolate/sea salt combo is out of this world.

Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies with Sea Salt (slightly adapted from My Name is Yeh)

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup tahini
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup + 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Maldon salt (you can find this at most specialty grocery stores)

Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, tahini, and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and continue mixing on medium for another 5 minutes. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl and combine. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low until just combined. Add the chocolate discs and mix them in by hand with a rubber spatula.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, scoop out 12 dough balls and place them on the baking sheet. Wrap the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for no less than 12 hours. This will allow the gluten in the flour to relax and will give you a tender soft cookie. Do not skip this step.

At this point you can bake one or bake 12. Keep the cookie dough balls in zip-top bags in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Space the cookie dough balls at least 3” apart to allow for them to spread. Bake for 13-16 minutes until just golden brown around the edges. They will still look fairly unbaked in the middle, which is perfect. Sprinkle each with Maldon salt when they come out of the oven. Allow the cookies to cool for 20 minutes on the baking sheet or cooling rack.