I keep asking myself why I didn’t think to create these chewy, dense bars of yumminess sooner! The added tahini provides a beautiful crumb and chewy texture without altering the flavor of the bars. So. Darn. Good! And if you need a nut-free version, I’ve made these with homemade raw sunflower seed flour instead of almond flour, and they were just as delicious. You can make so many variations from this basic recipe too. Add nuts or raisins, or substitute almond butter or sunbutter for the tahini. The options are endless!
DRY INGREDIENTS
1½ cups almond flour
1/3 cup (720 ml) arrowroot starch
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt
WET INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup (720 ml) pure maple syrup
¼ cup tahini
1 egg (or 2 TBSP (30 ml) warmed applesauce mixed with ½ tsp baking powder)
1 TBSP (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
2 TBSP (30 ml) coconut oil, melted
ADD-IN
½ cup dark chocolate chips
TOPPINGS
½ cup finely shredded coconut, unsweetened
2 TBSP (30 ml) mini chocolate chips
Makes 16 bars
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
Line an 8” x 8” glass baking dish with parchment paper, and grease it.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Add the maple syrup, tahini, egg, and vanilla extract, and mix well with a hand mixer.
Add the coconut oil, and blend again to incorporate.
Stir in the dark chocolate chips.
Spread the dough evenly in the prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle the coconut and mini chocolate chips on top, and lightly press them into the dough with your palm.
Bake the blondies for 23-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center is firm and springs back when pressed with your finger.
Let the blondies cool for 45 minutes on a wire rack.
Pull the bars out of the dish by the edges of the parchment paper. Place them on a cooling rack, and let them cool completely before slicing into 16 bars.
Store the bars in an airtight container, or freeze them until needed.
More Recipes You'll Love
Chocolate chip tahini blondies with toasted coconut are fudgy, sesame-rich bars that taste far more complicated than the ten minutes of mixing they take. The tahini gives the dough a deep, savory nuttiness that keeps the maple sweetness in check. Toasted coconut and mini chocolate chips on top give every square a crackly crown.
Pro Tips
- Line the pan with parchment with overhang on two sides. You lift the whole slab out by the paper edges — trying to cut blondies in the pan with their gooey centers is a losing battle.
- Press the coconut and mini chips lightly into the dough with your palm before baking, otherwise the topping bounces off when you slice.
- Bake until the center springs back when pressed and the edges turn golden. An underbaked center will not set into fudgy, it will set into sticky.
- Let the blondies cool a full 45 minutes before cutting. Warm blondies smear; fully cooled ones give you clean, sharp bars.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these blondies nut-free?
Yes. Tahini is made from sesame seeds, not nuts, so these blondies are already tree-nut free — just check that your chocolate chips are processed in a nut-free facility if allergies are a concern.
What can I substitute for tahini?
Sunbutter is the best swap at the same quantity and keeps the bars nut-free. Almond butter works too, though it makes the blondies taste more like a classic peanut butter bar than this sesame version.
How should I store chocolate chip tahini blondies?
Airtight at room temperature for three days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. They also freeze beautifully — thaw a bar at a time straight from the freezer for a quick treat.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- ADD-IN
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips TOPPINGS
- ½ cup finely shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 2 TBSP mini chocolate chips Makes 16 bars Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Line an 8” x 8” glass baking dish with parchment paper, and grease it.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
- Add the maple syrup, tahini, egg, and vanilla extract, and mix well with a hand mixer.
- Add the coconut oil, and blend again to incorporate.
- Stir in the dark chocolate chips.
- Spread the dough evenly in the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the coconut and mini chocolate chips on top, and lightly press them into the dough with your palm.
- Bake the blondies for 23-25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center is firm and springs back when pressed with your finger.
- Let the blondies cool for 45 minutes on a wire rack. Pull the bars out of the dish by the edges of the parchment paper.
- Place them on a cooling rack, and let them cool completely before slicing into 16 bars. Store the bars in an airtight container, or freeze them until needed.
