MAGICAL TAHINI CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

With crisp edges and gooey middles, these vegan paleo tahini chocolate chip cookies are a snap to make. You won't believe they're plant-based and free of dairy, eggs, grains, gluten, nuts, and refined sugar. I’ve given substitution suggestions below, but I have not tested these myself. If you’re trying a substitution, I would advise baking off a single test cookie, that way you can adjust the remaining dough if need be (i.e. add more flour if the cookies spread too much, or flatten the dough balls if they don’t spread enough).

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Ingredients

1 cup 245 g room temperature, well-stirred tahini (preferably a runny tahini such as Soom or Kevala)
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons 260 g maple syrup (preferably dark)
⅓ cup 70 g melted, cooled coconut oil (or ghee if not vegan)
2 teaspoons GF vanilla extract
½ cup 75 g cassava flour (I use Bob's Red Mill; or try sweet rice or AP flour if not paleo)
½ cup 60 g tiger nut flour (I use Anthony's; or try almond flour, more cassava flour, or oat, buckwheat, or teff flour if not paleo)
¼ cup 28 g tapioca flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
8 ounces 230 g coarsely chopped vegan bittersweet chocolate such as Raaka Maple Dark Baking Chocolate, plus extra for the tops
flaky salt such as Maldon for sprinkling

Instructions

Position a rack in the top of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Line 2 rimless cookie sheets with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla until smooth and emulsified.
Place a strainer over the bowl and sift in the cassava, tiger nut, and tapioca flours with the baking soda and sea salt. Stir to combine, then stir in the chocolate chunks.
Scoop 1-inch diameter balls of dough (3-4 tablespoons or a rounded #24 spring-loaded ice cream scoop) onto the prepared cookie sheet, spaced 3 inches apart. Top each cookie with a chunk or two of chocolate and a pinch of flaky salt.
Bake the cookies one pan at a time in the top rack of the oven until golden and puffed, with the edges beginning to set and the centers soft, 12-16 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet at 10 minutes for even baking.
Remove the cookies from the oven and slide them, parchment and all, onto a cooling rack. Let them cool as long as you can stand it. Enjoy warm from the oven, at room temperature, or let cool completely and store, covered at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

Notes

Since cookies are sensitive to slight changes in moisture and temperature, here are some ways to get foolproof cookies:
measure by weight, not volume
if measuring by volume, use the dip and sweep (aka scoop and swoop) method
make sure your oven is the correct temperature by using an external oven thermometer
bake off a single test cookie to make sure your cookies spread the right amount
if your cookies spread too much, add more flour or increase the oven temperature
if they don't spread enough, flatten the dough balls or decrease the oven temperature
Flours:
I first tested these cookies with all cassava and tapioca flour for ease, but I preferred the version that included tiger nut flour. Tiger nut (which is actually a tuber vegetable and not a nut at all) adds browning and tenderness to these cookies, making them look and taste more like classic CCCs. I order mine from Anthony's, but you can also find it in some health food stores with other alternative flours.
If you don't have tiger nut flour on hand, try one of the other suggestions in the recipe. You'll have to experiment a bit as flours absorb moisture differently and cookies are sensitive to these slight differences. If you’re trying a substitution, I would advise baking off a single test cookie, that way you can adjust the remaining dough if need be (i.e. add more flour if the cookies spread too much, or flatten the dough balls if they don’t spread enough).
You can also try omitting all of the flours and using 165 grams (about 1 cup + 2 -4 tablespoons) all-purpose flour (wheat, GF, or paleo).
Make-ahead:
Make the dough as directed, then let sit until firm enough to scoop (or chill for a few minutes). Scoop into balls, place the dough balls on a small baking sheet lined with parchment, and chill until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer the cold dough balls into a container and chill for up to a week or so. When you’re ready to bake, just plop the dough balls on a cookie sheet as directed, top with flaky salt, and bake. You can also freeze dough balls for up to several months.
Nutrition facts are for 1 of 18 cookies.