Dark Chocolate and Tahini Cookies

Public service announcement: these are the best cookies in the land. Well, that I've made. I've often struggled with getting the absolute perfect consistency, chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Often my cookies are more like cakies as my boss has named them.

I've stowed a secondary batch of dough in the freezer, although its pretty tempting to dig it out for a mid week treat. The tahini is a perfect match for gooey chocolate chunks, but peanut butter can be substituted if you prefer. I'd imagine that white chocolate will also work just as well too.

D A R K   C H O C O L A T E   A N D   T A H I N I   C O O K I E S
(Recipe adapted from BBC, makes a dozen)

50g salted butter, softened

125g dark brown muscovado sugar

125g golden caster sugar

80g tahini paste

1 egg, beaten

200g self raising flour

2tbsp cocoa powder

200g dark chocolate chunks or chips

• Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line two cookie sheets with baking paper.
• Beat together the butter and sugar on a medium speed until light and fluffy. 
• Add the eggs and the tahini and continue to beat on a low speed until combined.
• Tip in the dry ingredients and continue to beat, again until combined and the mixture forms a cookie dough. 
• Use an ice cream scoop or two spoons to scoop each cookie into shape. Place each cookie evenly spaced on the prepared trays, with half an inch gap between each.
• Bake for 6-8 minutes until soft in the middle, they will firm up on the outside as they cool.
• Place on a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

---

Peanut Butter Spelt Cookies

    Recently I've been aware that I should start thinking of ways to lessen my dependence on sugar. I've got to a stage where if I open a pack of biscuits, I will eat the whole lot. If I open a bar of Dairy Milk, I will eat the whole lot...and I'm talking about a big bar, daily! 

   I can't pretend to know a whole lot about refined sugars vs. naturally occurring sugars. But, I'd like to think that baking with naturally sweet ingredients can be just as tasty. I'd like to be a little more aware of ingredients and to have the knowledge to chose the healthier option - not always, of course! I love a treat from my favourite Bea's or the odd bar of Dairy Milk.

   I searched online for some cookie recipes that used ingredients I already had in the cupboard. I'm not very good at using up things, especially as the first time I've ever had tahini was in halva flapjacks I made recently. What else am I meant to use it for? So when I came across this recipe on Sweetest Kitchen, I got my apron on straight away and got mixing.

   These cookies use wholegrain spelt flour which is known as being much easier for your body to digest than regular flour due to its high water solubility. Its also rich in fibre, protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. I've only ever baked with spelt twice before, some bread and lemony hazelnut and blueberry muffins, so after baking these cookies I'm excited to try it in more recipes.

Peanut butter spelt cookies

(Adapted from Sweetest Kitchen)

     195g wholegrain spelt flour

     1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

     1 tsp sea salt

     185g natural peanut butter

     60g hulled tahini

     50g pure maple syrup

     60g margarine

     1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

     Few drops of almond milk

     Handful of unsalted peanuts

• Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
• Mix the spelt flour, bicarbonate of soda and sea salt in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl combine the peanut butter, tahini, maple syrup, margarine and vanilla extract.
• Pour the peanut butter mixture into the flour mixture and fold to combine.
• I added a few drops of almond milk to help combine the mixture and added some peanuts to add crunch to the cookies.
• Drop small rounded balls of dough onto the baking tray and give a little squish with your palm to flatten.
• Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until slightly soft. They will harden as they cool.

As I love salt and sweet flavour combinations I decided to top these with a drizzle of melted cacao...not as bad as my usual slab of Dairy Milk!

   If anyone has any healthy recipes to recommend then I'd love to try? How shall I use the rest of my spelt flour and tahini?