I’m having a blast at the new Mediterranean grocery store right down the street from my house. The place is always packed, and the prices are way better than most grocery stores. Since it’s a heavily trafficked store, I know the turn-over is great. Fresh, fresh, fresh!
I picked up some fresh tahini (if I told you the price, you would slap yourself—no more $18 tahini at Whole Foods, thanks!) with the intent to make hummus. For some reason, all I can stomach for breakfast lately is hummus, vegetables, a hard-boiled egg and a glass of milk. It’s weird, but I’m going to ride it out because it sounds healthy. I will admit to stepping into Whole Foods long enough last week to grab their flyer. I’m hooked on the money-saving recipes in their monthly flyers, however ironic they may be (I have a recipe for saving money: shop somewhere else. I kid, I kid. I love WF). Anyway, a recipe for sesame chocolate chip cookies made with tahini jumped off the page. Why have I never thought of this? Then, I sawTahini Swirl brownies on Pinterest and just about died. Those are next, my little pretties.
I’m not about to claim this to be a healthy cookie. People ask me all the time about how I eat. It’s the most personal question I can think of, and it’s really best if you just come to my house for dinner so I can show you. I would say the diet I align with most is the Mediterranean diet. But, I have a strong love for Mediterranean foods, too. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to make more Indian food at home. I couldn’t quite define my eating habits until this month’s Rachel Ray magazine. Gabriella Gershenson wrote an article entitled ‘The New Mediterranean Diet’ that captures the foods from the entire coast that touches the Mediterranean Sea. Not just southern Europe anymore, her definition includes north Africa, the Middle East and a slip of Asia. Now, THIS is how I eat. I eat lots of lean proteins, vegetables and whole grains, but with heavy North African spices and Middle Eastern Flavors. And if I don’t have some variation of Asian food once a week, you can find me in the fridge with a spoon in the red curry paste jar. (Don't try that).
Maybe it doesn’t bother you to not be able to clearly expound upon your diet, but it was making me fret. I felt like I was dodging the question with my vague answer: ‘oh, I eat mostly healthy, but I do shove a cupcake in my pie hole on the reg'. Or, is it pie into my cupcake hole?
The one way my diet unmistakably differs from the Mediterranean diet is dessert (duh!). While the new Mediterranean diet touts dessert to be strictly dried fruits and nuts, I’m all GIMME THE CHOCOLATE over here. I eat lots of dried fruits as snacks, not dessert. This leaves plenty of room for a warm chocolate chip cookie.
If you’ve never cooked with tahini, try it! It’s just pureed sesame seeds—you know, the ones on your hamburger bun? They’re nutty and slightly sweet. And they’re gloriously gooey in chocolate chip cookies. Let’s do this!
Delicious chocolate chunk cookies flavored with tahini. About tahini: The brand I use is 100% natural tahini. The only ingredient is sesame seeds. No salt. Nothing but ground toasted sesame seeds.Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 152Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 105mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
I am so on your page with eating. Healthier eating regularly means dessert is completely acceptable. Love these cookies, I must try them (the tahini in my fridge is calling my name)!
Marisa @ Uproot from Oregon says
I'll take the cookie closest to the bottom right, with the extra large chocolate chunk, please and thank you!
Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen says
I'm super intrigued and loving the idea of adding tahini to my cookies! Great photo!
Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen says
I'm super intrigued and loving the idea of adding tahini to my cookies! Great photo!
Nicole, RD says
Sad but true: I've never used tahini other than for hummus and dressings. Clearly I'm missing out...the nutrition stats are so impressive, cookies is a natural fit :)
Christina Lane says
So sad! Let's remedy this stat! :)
Stephie @ EYHO says
Tahini in dessert makes perfect sense to me! Keep it comin'!
Happy Valley Chow says
Those look like some yummy chocolate chip cookies, great job!
Happy Blogging!
Joanne says
The NEW Mediterranean diet definitely sounds like how we eat also! With some Mexican food thrown into the mix. :P I love the tahini infusion in these. Like PB+choc cookies but cooler.
Tina Muir says
Ooooh how interesting, sounds wonderful! I have some tahini, and am always on the hunt for nutritious ways to bake for my training. Now I have another healthy cookie recipe! Yum! Thanks!
Stephanie says
Ooh these look and sound divine! I'm going to try to adapt them without regular flour and see how they go!
Christina Lane says
Let me know--I have tons of GF/paleo friends :)