Tahini Chocolate Cookies

Instructions

1. Preheat and prepare: Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. Make sure you give your oven plenty of time to fully preheat!
2. Mix the wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter and dark brown sugar. Whisk together vigorously until the mixture is smooth and well combined - it should look glossy and the sugar should start to dissolve into the butter.
3. Add egg, vanilla, and tahini: Add the egg, vanilla extract, and tahini to the bowl. Whisk everything together really well until fully combined and smooth. The tahini can sometimes be a bit thick, so make sure you whisk until there are no streaks and everything is evenly incorporated. The mixture should be smooth and glossy.
4. Add the dry ingredients: Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet mixture. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold everything together until just combined. Don't over mix - as soon as you can't see any dry flour, stop. Over mixing can make the cookies tough
5. Fold in the chocolate: Roughly chop your dark chocolate into chunks (irregular chunks are perfect - they create lovely melty pockets). Add them to the dough and fold them in gently until they're evenly distributed throughout.
6. Chill the dough: Cover the bowl with cling film or transfer the dough to an airtight container. Pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This chilling time is really important - it helps the flavours develop, makes the dough easier to handle, and stops the cookies spreading too much during baking. If you want, you can chill the dough overnight for even better flavour.
7. Prepare sesame seeds: Put your sesame seeds in a small shallow bowl or plate ready for dunking. You'll be pressing the top of each cookie ball into the seeds before baking.
8. Scoop the dough: After chilling, use a spoon or cookie scoop to portion the dough into balls - about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll each portion into a ball between your palms. You should get 6 - 9 cookies, depending on size.
9. Add sesame seed topping: Take each dough ball and gently press the top into the bowl of sesame seeds. The seeds should stick to the dough nicely. Place each cookie on your prepared baking tray, sesame-seed-side up, spacing them about 5cm apart- they will spread.
10. Add flaky salt (optional): If you're using flaky sea salt, sprinkle just a tiny pinch on top of each cookie. This really elevates the flavour and makes the chocolate taste even better.
11. Bake: Place the tray in your preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. You want the edges to be set and slightly golden, but the centres should still look slightly underbaked and soft. They might look a bit puffy and soft when you take them out - this is perfect! They'll continue cooking on the hot tray and will set as they cool.
12. Cool on the tray: This is crucial - let the cookies cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before moving them. They're very soft when hot and will break if you try to move them too soon. After 5 minutes, they'll have firmed up enough to transfer.
13. Transfer to cooling rack: After 5 minutes on the tray, carefully transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. They'll continue to set as they cool and will develop that perfect chewy texture.