I saw this recipe the other day on David Lebovitz’s blog. He said that they were the best chocolate chip cookies he’s ever had, and he makes A LOT of chocolate chip cookies. That was enough endorsement for me.

I know that tahini is a *hip*, *trendy* ingredient, but I loved it before it became famous. It’s more subtle than peanut butter but still has a distinct flavor that adds depth to otherwise bland food.

These cookies would be good without the tahini but they became next level with the seed butter mixed in. O.M.G. I’m freaking out a little so it’s difficult to express to how I feel. The cookies are light, slightly dense, chewy, and they melt in your mouth. Basically, they’re everything that good chocolate chip cookies should be and more. They have a slightly nutty flavor from the tahini and the flaky sea salt on top balances out the sugar.

If you’re going to make these cookies (which I would highly recommend doing as soon as possible), I would suggest springing for the good ingredients. This probably means spending a little more for chocolate and tahini. Grocery store brand tahini gets the job done, but the good kind makes these cookies taste even better (trust me). Also, I splurged and bought some expensive baking chocolate for the chips. I was not disappointed. They make the cookies taste like the kind you get at the bakery. But the best part is, they come out of your oven.

One word to the wise about this recipe: The dough needs to sit overnight in the fridge. I didn’t read this until I started making them on Monday and I was annoyed. I’m not really into delayed gratification.

However, the wait is worth it. A lot of cookie recipes call for chilling the dough because it makes a softer, chewier end product when you bake. That’s what happened when I made these cookies.

Here’s a song that describes how I feel about these cookies. It’s also good for moments when you realize that you have to wait 24 hours to eat what you wanted to eat in 20 minutes.

Salted Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies (adapted from David Lebovitz) (originally from here)

Ingredients

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
2 cups bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chunks, or chocolate chips
flaky sea salt (I used Maldon)

Directions

Beat the butter, tahini, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed in a stand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, or until fluffy.

Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Add the egg, the yolk, and the vanilla, and continue to mix for another minute, scraping down the sides as needed to make sure that everything is fully incorporated.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the dry ingredients slowly. Mix in the chocolate chips by hand. Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use an ice cream scoop to form the cookies into round balls. Smaller cookies will be about 1 inch in diameter and larger cookies will be about 2 inches in diameter. Space the balls 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.

Bake the cookies about 12-15 minutes, depending on their size. Rotate the sheet halfway into baking time. Remove the cookies from the oven when the edges are golden brown and the middles are still pale. Sprinkle with sea salt and let them cool on the sheet. Enjoy!