Chocolate Tahini Cookies (gluten-free, paleo, grain-free)

Chocolate Tahini Cookies
(adapted from Salted Plains, which makes a vegan version)

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• ½ cup tahini
• ½ cup maple syrup
• ¾ cup almond flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ cup coconut sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup chocolate chips (I used Lily stevia-sweetened)
• ¼-1/2 cup sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk tahini, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and egg together. Add almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until fully combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
3. Assembly: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the sesame seeds in a small bowl and sir to combine. Fill another small bowl with water. The cookie dough will be sticky, so spray your hands with cooking spray, then using a small spoon, scoop cookie dough and gently roll into a loose ball with your hands. Dip or roll each ball into sesame mixture and place on cookie sheet. Dip a fork into the water and press down slightly vertically and then horizontally on top of ball. Rewet your fork each time. This is not to get a tines marking on your cookies, rather, it is to ensure they spread into a more even circle during baking.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and wait a minute or two before transferring cookies to a wire rack.