Salted Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies from ‘Modern Israeli Cooking’
This week, we’re spotlighting recipes from Modern Israeli Cooking: 100 New Recipes for Traditional Classics by Danielle Oron (Page Street Publishing Co.), chef and owner of Toronto’s Moo Milk Bar and founder of the blog I Will Not Eat Oysters. Try making the recipe at home and let us know what you think!
Photograph by Danielle Oron
Salted Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 12 cookies
OH. GOD.
I own a cookie shop in Toronto. There needed to be a cookie recipe in this book. I dream that one day we will sell these in the shop. Luckily for me, the world has warmed to the idea of using tahini in desserts. I use it a lot. These are super soft in the middle and crispy on the edges, just like a perfect cookie should be. Use the best-quality chocolate you can find. I use Valrhona discs here because their shape and taste are superior to any chocolate I’ve tested with this recipe.
8 tablespoons (113 g) room temperature unsalted butter
½ cup (120 ml) sesame paste
1 cup (225 g) sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cup (230 g) Valrhona discs (64% cocoa)
Maldon salt
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter, sesame paste, and sugar together on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and continue mixing on medium speed for another 5 minutes.
Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl and combine. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low until just combined.
Add the chocolate discs and mix them in by hand with a rubber spatula.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 2-ounce (60-ml)-capacity ice-cream disher (scoop with release), scoop out 12 dough balls and place them on the baking sheet. Wrap the baking sheet with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for no less than 12 hours. This will allow the glutens in the flour to relax and will give you a tender soft cookie. Do not skip this step.
At this point you can bake 1 or bake all 12. Keep the cookie dough balls in zip-top bags in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Preheat the oven to 325˚F (160˚C) and line a baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat. Space the cookie-dough balls at least 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart to allow for them to spread. Bake for 13–16 minutes until just golden brown around the edges. They will still look fairly unbaked in the middle, which is perfect. Sprinkle each with Maldon salt when they come out of the oven.
Allow to cool for 20 minutes on baking sheet or cooling rack.
Reprinted with permission from Modern Israeli Cooking: 100 New Recipes for Traditional Classics (Page Street Publishing Co.).
More of Danielle Oron’s recipes on Yahoo Food:
Lemon Garlic Eggplant with Labneh
Personal Pear, Onion, and Gruyère Galettes
