These vegan, one-bowl, soft and chewy tahini and olive oil chocolate chunk cookies will amaze you with their intense chocolaty taste and their nutty undertones.
This recipe for vegan olive oil and tahini chocolate chunk cookies is a one-bowl recipe and one of the easiest you’re going to make! The Mediterranean cuisine may have a lot of easy, one-bowl cookie recipes like these vegan and crunchy Greek sesame and olive oil cookies – but it hasn’t any American-type chocolate chip ones. So it is easy to say that this recipe combines the best of two worlds and creates a healthier cookie with intense chocolaty taste and nutty undertones.
All you have to do is just mix some ingredients with a fork or a whisk, add the flour and the chocolate chunks and chill the mixture in the fridge. Since the dough doesn’t contain any eggs or dairy, you can make a large batch, keep it in the fridge for several days, and bake some cookies each time you feel the need! The only thing you have to be careful of is to not over-bake them!
This post has been updated with new photos. If you’ve been here before, you may remember the old photos with the blue background (I will probably leave an old photo at the end of this post for reference). I’d like to believe that my photography has evolved from when I started this blog, and one of the reasons for this is a long talk I had with Bella through the telephone. Bella from ful-filled.com is one of the most talented photographers I know and one of the kindest, warm, and altruistic persons you’re going to meet. I contacted her through Instagram about a year ago and after a few days we were on the phone talking about my photography. She told me things that were not very easy to hear, but her way so smooth and affectionate that she made me rethink my photography and pushed me to evolve and explore new paths. I guess this small paragraph is my big “thank you” to her, and I hope one day I’ll be able to return the favor.
Also, the original version of the cookies you see here are these big, soft and chewy tahini – olive oil chocolate chunk cookies which are some of the best cookies I’ve ever made!
Tip for better presentation: keep some pieces of the chopped chocolate on the side (about 2-3 pieces per cookie) and add them to the top of each cookie after you scoop it and when you roll it into a ball.
Why use chopped chocolate and not chocolate chips?
Since chocolate is a basic ingredient in these cookies, it goes without saying that you should use a good quality one. And in general, a good chocolate bar will be of better quality than many chocolate chips… But that’s not the only reason. Chopping the chocolate will create pieces uneven in size and shape plus many trimmings. The trimmings scatter throughout the dough giving it a wonderful chocolaty flavor, and the variously shaped chunks make the appearance but also each bite more interesting!
There are two things you should have in mind when making these cookies.
The cookies should be cold before baking otherwise they tend to spread a lot. But even if they spread too much, they still are delicious and chewy, so there have been times when I’ve baked them without chilling them first (if you want them to look like the pictures though, don’t skip this step!) For the same reason, they’re also baked at a slightly higher temperature than average, so that the edges set quickly and the cookies remain nice and thick. 🙂
Some notes/tips:
- Chill the dough very well in the fridge to prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
- Use chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips. The uneven pieces and the trimmings of the chocolate contribute to better texture and taste!
- As with all cookies of this type, don’t over-bake them! The centers of the cookies should seem slightly underbaked when you take them out of the oven.
You may like these similar recipes:
Crispy pistachio and chocolate chip cookies
Chocolate covered Greek honey cookies (honeyroons)
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These vegan, one-bowl, soft and chewy tahini and olive oil chocolate chunk cookies will amaze you with their intense chocolaty taste and their nutty undertones.
- 1/3 cup (80 grams) tahini
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
- 1/4 cup orange juice or apple juice or water
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds or chia seeds (optional)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups (200 grams) all-purpose flour
- 5.3 oz (150 grams) chopped chocolate, at least 55% cocoa
- Some sea salt flakes for topping.
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If you use the ground flax seeds, mix them together with the orange juice and set aside for 5 minutes.
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Transfer the olive oil, the tahini, the sugars, the orange juice, the vanilla, the cinnamon, the espresso powder and the salt to a bowl and mix with a fork or a whisk for 1-2 minutes until the sugar is almost dissolved.
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Combine the flour with the baking soda in a small bowl and add it to the olive oil/tahini mixture. Mix gently with a spatula until almost combined. Add the chopped chocolate and mix gently.
Refrigerate the dough for 3-4 hours or overnight.
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Preheat oven to 365°F (185°C) and line your pan with baking paper.
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Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop will give you exactly 12 pieces) and roll each piece into a ball. Transfer to the pan, leaving about 2-3 inches distance between each cookie and sprinkle with some sea salt flakes.
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Bake for 11-12 minutes. The cookies should look slightly underdone in the middle. Take the pan out of the oven and tap it on the counter for the cookies to deflate and settle. This will give them a bakery-style look. Let them cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
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Eat!
- If you don’t have instant espresso granules you can use 1/4 cup of espresso coffee (about two shots) instead of the orange juice.
- The ground flax (or chia) seeds are not necessary but they will give you slightly better texture. If you have whole flax (or chia) seeds you can grind them in a mortar.
- For better presentation: keep some pieces of the chopped chocolate on the side (about 2-3 pieces per cookie) and add them to the top of each cookie when you roll it into a ball.
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Oooooh, I’m lucky enough to have both ground flaxseeds and chia seeds in my pantry! These cookies look marvelous! Pinning for later when my sweet-toothed beast rears its ugly head again!
Thanks Christina! You ‘re well organised having both ground flaxseeds and chia seeds! Happy baking! 🙂
Oh, I can see the sea salt flakes floating in these cookies! I see that someone took a bite out of one of the cookies in the bottom photo- I can see why- they look delicious!
Hahaha! Thank you very much Fran! 🙂
Who that someone may be??? I wonder!
those puddles of chocolate look awesome!!! and yes yes yes to chopping chocolate for chocolate chip cookies. that’s one of my major must do’s whenever i make a batch (:
Knowing about your must do’s makes me like you even more Heather! 🙂
Happy baking!
It’s been a while since I enjoyed a really good chocolate chip cookie. I can’t wait to give this recipe a try over the weekend.
Thanks for sharing & Happy Thursday, Makos
Thank you very much and happy baking!!! 🙂
you mention substituting chia seeds for the egg, but the recipe does not call for an egg! am i missing something??
thanks
Hi Marc,
I am referring to the original recipe, these chewy olive oil and tahini chocolate chunk cookies.
The recipe on this post doesn’t need an egg or chia seeds, so you’re good to go! 🙂
Hands down our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe! bravo Mako, this recipe is such a winner!
Thank you Bella! This is my favorite choc chip cookie recipe too. I’m thrilled you guys liked it!!!!
Can I substitute whole wheat flour for the all purpose flour? Would I need to add more liquid?
Hi Darla,
I haven’t tried this, but I think the substitution is 1 to 1.
Just to be safe, it’s better to reserve a couple tablespoons of flour and add them at the end if you feel it’s necessary
What a fantastic recipe! Thank you so much — these cookies made my day! (And will make for a few more really good days, too…)
Thanks Mark, I’m very happy you liked them 🙂
Hi Makos, this recipe has been on my must try list for the longest time and I figured to give it a go now. Do you think it’d be possible to cut back on sugar a bit? I am aware sugar plays a very important role texture wise, but a 1:1 flour to sugar ratio is a bit too much for me to handle, considering the sweetness also brought in by chocolate. So I was wondering how much sugar I can cut out without sacrificing texture too much?
Thank you, and keep up with the awesome work you do!
best,
chiara
Hi Chiara
Thanks so much for your kind words. The quantity of the sugar is also a concern of mine, but every time I make them I’m always afraid to lose the texture so I never reduce it. I would suggest using half the white sugar and all of the brown sugar the first time and see how it goes. If you’re pleased with the texture you can make them again and reduce both sugars by half the second time. If I find the time I will try to do it myself also.
Please let me know how it went if you can.
Bye!
Oh my you were SO quick with your reply and I didn’t even manage to catch it on time (though I thought I’d turned on the follow-up notifications duh). I’m making them now as you suggested and I’ll make sure to let you know how they turn out!
Has anyone tried these with gluten free flour mix?
OK for all you gluten free bakers, I’m answering my own question cause I had to try these – used a gluten free one for one flour mix, cut the white sugar in half and made fresh espresso – OMG my new fav! I love that there’s no butter but they taste so buttery!
That’s so great Dottie, thanks for the feedback!