These are flourless tahini chocolate cookies, vegan and gluten free, with just tahini, cocoa, and dates making up the majority of ingredients. They’re lightly sweet, tender, chewy, and very chocolate-filled with that extra dark chocolate thumbprint.
Nut and seed butters add richness and a buttery flavour and texture to vegan cookies in a way that nothing else can. You can make a good cookie without, but it really does make all the difference.
Chocolate and tahini is a very good mix, a slightly more bitter version of classic PB and chocolate. Even though I choose peanut butter 90% of the time, this more complex version of a classic cookie is well worth making.
If you’re looking for some more gluten free cookies, try these gluten-free chocolate peanut butter cookies (which this recipe is adapted from), double chocolate chickpea flour cookies, and the original from 2016, my ultimate gluten free peanut butter cookies.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Dates: this can be any type of date, but the softer, the better. If your dates are a bit dry, soak them in very hot water for half an hour before draining and using.
- Cocoa: the type of cocoa doesn’t matter for this recipe, as the cookies don’t noticeably expand from the baking soda (but don’t leave it out). They are slightly lighter in texture when using natural cocoa, but dutch process can also be used.
- Tahini: any type of unsweetened tahini can be used, but choose one you like the taste of. If your tahini has salt added, omit salt from the ingredients for the cookies.
Step by Step
1. Roll the balls: blend the dough, then roll into balls and coat in sesame seeds.
2. Press the centre: use your thumb to press into the middle of each ball to create a divot.
3. Add the chocolate: place a piece of baking chocolate (see below) into each cookie.
4. Bake: place the cookies in the oven and bake for about ten minutes.
Recipe Notes
You can make these sesame cookies with or without a food processor, providing your dates are soft and you have a strong mashing arm. Simply mash the dates very well with a fork and then mix with everything else.
Please note that these are not particularly sweet cookies, as they are only date sweetened, and the base is made from two slightly bitter ingredients. If you want a typical sugar and butter tasting cookie, this is not the recipe for you.
How to Store
Storage: the cooled cookies can be stored for several days in a sealed container. I recommend refrigerating if your home is quite warm.
Freezing: freeze the cookies in an airtight container for up to three months.
Expert Tips
- Use baking chocolate: this isn’t mandatory, but the cookies will turn out better if the thumbprint is filled with baking chocolate, which is less likely to burn at the higher oven temperature. Regular dark chocolate bars will bubble and taste slightly bitter when baked.
- Mix away: as with most gluten-free recipes, these can be mixed for ages, and using the food processor won’t make them tough.
- Don’t omit the oil: this is part of what makes the cookies easy to roll and prevents them from cracking too much and drying out in the oven. Fat is flavour!
More Gluten-Free Chocolate Recipes
Vegan Chocolate Mousse
No Bake Chocolate Coconut Balls
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Vegan Chocolate Truffles
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Flourless Chocolate Tahini Cookies
Ingredients
- 120 grams soft dates
- 150 grams runny tahini
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 30 grams cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Sesame seeds for rolling
- 12 squares dark baking chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease or line a large baking sheet.
- Add the dates to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and blend on high speed until smooth. Alternatively, use a fork to mash them.120 grams soft dates
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix until very smooth and a ball of dough forms. The dough should be soft but hold its form.150 grams runny tahini, 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 30 grams cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Roll the dough into small balls about the size of a ping pong ball. Coat each ball in sesame seeds and set onto the prepared sheet. Use your thumb to press an indent into each cookie, then place a square of chocolate into each.Sesame seeds, 12 squares dark baking chocolate
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the sesame seeds are golden and the cookies are slightly firmer to touch. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes on the tray before removing to cool fully on a rack. They will be rather delicate until fully chilled.
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Ludmila says
Hi! How do you think. Can I use peanut Butter instead of tahini? Thank you
Alexandra Daum says
Peanut butter works very well, as long as it’s quite runny and not dry. I’ve used peanut butter several times for this recipe.
Carol says
I have a question before I attempt the recipe. What brands of tahini would you recommend. If I wasn’t making it from scratch.
I’ve tried a few different brands over the years and some can be really bitter. A lot had to do with the regular grocery store selling only a couple of brands… not always the best quality.
These cookies sound delicious… I m a big fan of 100% chocolate and dates. TYIA
Alexandra Daum says
Hi Carol, I’m not sure where you’re located so I’m not really sure what to recommend. I either use Rapunzel or Planet Plant Based but those are both German brands – if you’re in North America, you might want to buy it online and look at the reviews. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Alexandra Daum says
Hi Vanessa, the cookies will keep for several days in an airtight container.
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great way to enjoy a dessert without gluten!
Natasha Gracey says
These cookies are the Bomb! The texture is beautifully fudgy and the taste is perfectly balanced between nutty, sweet and chocolatey. Definitely a win for me! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe.
Christine says
I was so excited to make these as I am vegan and cannot eat gluten. These looked beautiful but after following the recipe perfectly (and using my scale for precision) I ended up with an extremely bitter cookie. The only thing I can conclude is that there is too much tahini or not enough sugar in this recipe. I am pretty tolerable for less than perfect sweets but had no choice but to toss these in the garbage. I post this in hopes that someone else doesn’t have the same thing happen.
Alexandra says
Hi Christine, if you followed the recipe perfectly, the cookies shouldn’t be bitter. This can be the result of a couple of things: if the dates were too hard and didn’t blend through into a paste (if they were still in chunks), if the tahini used was very bitter (it should be tahini you like the taste of plain, as always), if you used raw cacao instead of cocoa powder, or if the cookies were overbaked (if the oven runs hot, for example, and there isn’t an additional thermometer) as it’s harder to tell if they are overdone due to the cocoa. If it was a combination of the above, it would likely render the cookies inedible. Hope that helps!
Aysegul says
These are the most beautiful cookies I have ever seen. I am a huge fan of tahini and chocolate so I will be making them very soon.
Thanks for sharing.