Gluten-Free Brown Butter Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies (Made With Oat Flour!)
For those of you who have made my cookie recipes before, this may look slightly familiar. That’s because these gluten-free brown butter tahini chocolate chip cookies are a NEW & improved version of my original, vegan & gluten-free tahini chocolate chip cookies! One of my all-time favourite cookies recipes that I felt was due for a slight update.
This new version has a couple of important changes. Firstly, I added brown butter, as you may have guessed based on the name of this recipe. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I’m obsessed with brown butter recently. Its nutty, toffee-esque flavour just elevates every recipe and I can’t stop making it. Oops. Although I typically eat dairy-free, butter doesn’t really give me any tummy issues and let’s be honest, what’s better than real butter?! That being said, I’ve also made brown butter with vegan butter - but it has to be the high-quality kind that is nut-based (rather than just an oil-based one, as many vegan butters are). I love Miyokos and Culcherd vegan butters for browning!
The second change you’ll see is that these gluten-free brown butter tahini chocolate chip cookies are made with oat flour. My original version is made with a mix of almond flour & coconut flour and though delicious, there are a couple potential downsides. Firstly, I know these specialty flours are more expensive and not everyone has access to them, while oat flour is very inexpensive, gluten-free and super easy to make by just grinding up oats in your blender. Secondly, I was finding that those flours yielded a less consistent result because of their fat content, and when combined with different brands of tahini (some are much runnier/oilier than others), sometimes produced a dough that spread more than we want it to.
A few notes to set you up for success with this recipe!
Although the dough doesn’t need to be chilled (besides when you’re preheating the oven), unfortunately the brown butter does have to be slightly solidified & chilled for this recipe as opposed to melted. Melted and warm butter will produce a cookie that spreads out a lot when baking, whereas we want a doughy, chewy cookie that holds its shape. What I would suggest is one of the following options:
Make a big batch of brown butter ahead of time using a stick or two of butter (I do this often) that you can then store in the fridge for these cookies and other future uses
If you’re short on time, make your brown butter as instructed, then place in a small bowl overtop of a larger bowl filled with ice cubes. Use a whisk or electric mixer to beat the butter and it will firm up as it chills into a smooth, cold, whipped consistency. I’ve seen this on TikTok and I think it should work!
If neither of the above work, use the liquid brown butter to make these cookies, but then chill the dough overnight to allow the butter to firm up enough to prevent too much spreading
Make sure to grind your oat flour as finely as possible to avoid a gritty texture. You can also buy pre-made oat flour!
I always use a well-stirred, drippy tahini for these cookies with great results
I am partial to chopped dark chocolate in cookies but you can use whichever chocolate chips or chunks you love
When you remove the cookies from the oven, gently tap your baking sheet on the counter to slightly “deflate” the dough, and then use a round cookie cutter or a glass to swirl around each cookie and ensure they are perfectly round. Both of these methods are what give these cookies the beautiful ripple effect that you see in my photos!
I hope you make & love this 2.0 version of my tahini chocolate chip cookies!
Gluten-Free Brown Butter Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
3 tbsp brown butter, slightly soft but not melted (see above note - ideally make it and let cool in the fridge before making these cookies!)
⅓ cup smooth, runny tahini
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water; mix & let sit for 10 mins to “gel” up)
⅔ cup coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tbsp fine oat flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
Chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips, as much as you want!
Sea salt for topping
Method
In a large bowl, use a spatula to mix together your brown butter, tahini & coconut sugar until the sugar is incorporated. You should have a thick, paste-like mixture. Add your flax egg & vanilla and whisk to combine.
Add your oat flour, baking soda & sea salt. Stir until you have a firm, smooth dough. Fold in your chocolate.
Place the dough in the freezer (important!) while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If you weren’t able to let your brown butter cool and firm up before making the dough, you’ll need to refrigerate the dough for several hours to allow it to firm up.
Once oven is heated, remove dough from the freezer and use a cookie scoop to portion out balls of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and gently tap your baking sheet on the counter to “deflate” the cookies slightly, then use a round cookie cutter or a glass to swirl around each cookie for a round, rippled effect. They will firm up as they cool!
Top with flaky sea salt if desired before serving and enjoy :)
Makes 14-16 cookies
