Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Tahini

Never tried baking with tahini? Start with these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars! They’re chewy and packed with melted chocolate for a decadent sweet made with healthier ingredients including a secret delicious ingredient: tahini!

Anything with tahini will forever remind me of my trip to Israel. It was hands down in the top 5 trips of my life. I mean I was packed to the brim with Israeli food for a week straight. How could it not qualify for a top contender?

I tried the BEST tahini of my life in Israel. We went to a tahini factory (be still my heart!) that’s been operating as a family business for over 25 years. Lana took us around and showed us how they make tahini and all about the sesame seeds they source from Ethiopia. And once you try Al Arz tahini, you don’t go back.

…unless you pack in a carry-on bag and the gifted tahini they gave you all go home with Sarah instead (insert crying emoji here). So until I can get my hands on some Al Arz tahini, the generic stuff will do. And honestly, these bars are almost so good it doesn’t really matter. Okay, it does matter, but if you haven’t seen the light of what pure, liquid gold tahini actually tastes like, you won’t know the difference. I envy your ignorance.

EXCITING NEWS! I just discovered you can order Al Arz off amazon! I order it in bulk HERE.

What is tahini?

Let’s back things up and chat about what tahini even is! Tahini is ground sesame seeds. That’s it! Its texture is similar to a creamy nut butter. It is a nutrition powerhouse – packed with fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals.

While tahini may be a new-to-you ingredient it’s actually super versatile. I love it in dressings and sauces, smoothies, energy bites, baked goods… the list goes on!

Here are some of my favorite recipes with tahini:

• Maple Roasted Squash with Tahini Yogurt Dressing
• Tahini Butter Cups with Honey Candied Cereal
• Tahini Date and Cinnamon Smoothie
• No-Bake Tahini Chocolate Protein Energy Balls

What You Need for These Bars:

• oat flour – make your own oat flour by pulsing oats in a blender or food processor or purchase oat flour at your local grocery store.
• unsweetened tahini – find by the nut and seed butters!
• coconut oil
• applesauce
• eggs
• vanilla extract
• chocolate chips
• baking powder
• sea salt
• maple syrup

These cookie bars are super simple to throw together, I might make them weekly. They are truly life-changing and will make you wonder why you’ve never baked with tahini before!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Tahini

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Never tried baking with tahini? Start with these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars! They’re chewy and packed with melted chocolate for a decadent sweet made with healthier ingredients including a secret delicious ingredient: tahini!

• Author: Davida Lederle
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 12 bars 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup oat flour*
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch sea salt
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup unsweetened tahini (make sure oil is well mixed in)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, softened (plus more for greasing)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease an 8 x 8 baking pan with coconut oil
3. In a large bowl combine oat flour, baking powder and sea salt.
4. Add in maple syrup, tahini, coconut oil, applesauce, eggs and vanilla.
5. Stir until well-combined.
6. Add in chocolate chips.
7. Spread out into baking pan and bake for 20-25 mins or until edges are browned and bars are firm to touch.
8. Wait 20 mins before cutting into 12 squares.
9. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a rack.
10. Will keep will in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

*you can make oat flour in your blender by grinding rolled oats for 30 seconds. Feel free to substitute with all-purpose white flour if you don’t have

Want to learn more about what we did in Israel? Check out my Israel Travel Vlog!