I know I haven’t been as present lately, but this is the first post to mark a change back to regular recipes and posts again – not six times a week like I have in the past, maybe, but at least once a week. It’s been a hell of a summer, let me tell you.
There are plenty of savoury recipes in my calendar, lots of weeknight meals. When I’m really busy with other things I tend to push everyday cooking to the back burner (lol) and Graham does all the regular meal cooking as I have to be in the kitchen all day for other projects. It can take a bit of a break to get back in the groove of ideas and inspiration for cooking rather than baking; sweet recipes and baking come more naturally to me.
What better way to mark a return with chocolate thumbprint cookies? These are flourless tahini cookies, vegan and grain/gluten free, with just tahini, cocoa, and dates making up the majority of ingredients. They’re tender, chewy, and very chocolate-y with that extra dark chocolate thumbprint.
Tahini is getting a bit tired, maybe, on blogs like this. I think it can be used without thought much of the time because it’s at the tail end of a bit of a moment for WFPB bloggers. I like tahini but don’t want it in everything, you know?
Chocolate and tahini is a very good mix, a slightly more bitter version of classic PB and chocolate. That being said, I do have a pile of mostly savoury tahini recipes here. I just don’t want to use it superfluously, especially because I’ll choose peanut butter 90% of the time.
If you’re looking for some more gluten free cookies, I have a few of those too – these flourless 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.
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. Like these vegan almond rye cookies.
You can make these sesame cookies with or without a food processor, providing your dates are soft and you have a strong mashing arm. After mixing, they’re rolled up into little balls, coated in sesame seeds, thumb-printed, and baked with an extra square of dark chocolate.
The texture from the sesame seeds is great, and these play just on the side of sweet, with a good balance from the bitter tahini and seeds. If you eat dairy, or don’t mind a pile of sugar from vegan white chocolate, I think these would be great with white chocolate as a counterpoint to all the cocoa. And if you want to use something other than tahini, go for it – the sesame seeds don’t add a pile of actual taste, so whatever you choose will shine through.
Let’s connect! If you liked these tahini cookies, make sure to leave a comment below, I love hearing from you! Tag me on instagram @occasionallyeggs and #occasionallyeggs so I can see what you’re making, and stay in touch via email, facebook, and pinterest.
Flourless Chocolate Tahini Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 120 grams soft dates
- 150 grams tahini
- 2 tablespoons oat or almond 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 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.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix until very smooth and a ball of dough forms. The dough should be soft but hold its form.
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
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.