As it turns out, I have a lot of strong opinions about cookies.
I didn’t always know this about myself, but when I have to articulate my thoughts for you online, all sorts of self-discovery occurs.
For me, cookies should never be:
hard
dry
crunchy
or plain.
Yes, this means Oreos are a no-go for me.
Plus, they get stuck in my teeth and taste like a sad sorry excuse for the melted chocolate my heart is after.
Please don’t hold it against me; I swear I don’t have that many other deep dark life-shattering secrets to reveal to you.
Clearly, my heart is after all the soft, chewy, gooey, tender cookies.
If I’m being completely honest, I kind of only want them the same day they’re made.
Cold, hard, day-old cookies are no bueno.
Apparently I’m a huge cookie snob?! Sorry you’re just finding this out now.
So, now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, lets talk about thees cookies.
Oh, these cookies.
The fact that I didn’t eat them all before it came time to take pictures is truly a testament to my love for this blog. It took every ounce of my being to save them for you.
They’re made with some of my favorite baking ingredients: oats, maple syrup, and cocoa powder. The oats get blended up into flour, making these cookies naturally gluten-free.
I don’t have a gluten allergy and have a serious love for wheat, so the fact that these are gluten free is really just a perk for those of you who can’t eat gluten. The oat flour also keeps the cookies extra soft and maybe makes them breakfast-approved?
I don’t know, I’m not a good judge of these things. I’d eat oatmeal with tahini and maple syrup for breakfast sooooo oat-based cookies with tahini sounds like a pretty solid breakfast choice to me.
What makes them so crave-able is their dense, fudgey, almost brownie-like texture. Combined with the subtle background flavors of tahini and cinnamon and a hearty sprinkle of flaky sea salt, these dark chocolatey cookies become absolutely irresistible.
Well, unless you’re into those cold, hard, crunchy cookies.
Then you’re out of luck. 
This recipe makes 12 small/average sized cookies, and next time I make them, I will definitely double the recipe because 12 was NOT ENOUGH.
If you love soft, tender cookies, or happen to be a fudgey brownie fan, these cookies are for you. The salty-sweet and complex flavors add a little something special to the typical holiday cookie platter, and would definitely be a hit at your work party or other cookie-necessitating event.
If you make a batch of these cookies, let me know! Leave a comment below, or take a picture and tag me #bakedgreens on Instagram so I can see your dark, salty, beautiful cookies.
Salted Dark Chocolate Tahini Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup room temperature coconut oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup oats*
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips/chunks
- flaky sea salt for topping (optional, but recommended)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper; set aside.
- 2. Put coconut oil, maple syrup, and tahini in a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Add in egg and vanilla, and whisk again to fully combine.
- 3. Turn your oats into oat flour by quickly blending/pulsing them in a food processor or blender. Alternately, you can use 1 cup of oat flour if you have it in your pantry already. Add flour and all remaining ingredients to the tahini mixture, and stir well to combine.
- 4. Portion cookies onto prepared pan by the heaping spoonful (about 2 Tablespoons each) to get 12 cookies. Flatten each scoop slightly with your fingers, as these cookies don't spread much in the oven. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of sea salt.
- 5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until just cooked through. The centers of each cookie should still look soft. Remove from oven and let cool, then transfer to an airtight container for up to 5 days, if you can possibly make 12 cookies last that long in your house.
Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies/ Maple Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies/ Chocolate Chip Cookies: For Kevin, With Love/ Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cake Cookies