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Heart Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I just love it when a dessert or snack has a nutritional benefit that doesn’t make me feel guilty about taking seconds. This pie is a good example, but I will always have a soft spot for cookies. These cookies in particular have a rather heart heathy flair to them: most of the fat in from tahini instead of butter. The recipe is from EatingWell magazine.

Out of the oven, they were crisp on the edges and soft in the center. The flavor was very nice. I found the cookies to have a nutty undertone, both from the whole wheat flour and the tahini. I’m sure that if you didn’t know there was tahini in the cookies, it would be difficult to determine the source of the nuttiness. I sent these out with success to some people as part of Blogging By Mail, so they do ship well. The added benefit was that I was able to get additional feedback, because Jessica noted that these weren’t particularly buttery in flavor. Not suprising, considering that there is not much butter in them!

I left out the walnuts in case of allergies, but there is no doubt that they would be tasty with them. This omission would also lower the fat slightly from the nutritional information given by the article. Of course, there are still the chocolate chips to contend with, but that is one sacrifice I’m not willing to make in the search for healthy treats.

Tahini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
(from EatingWell March 2005)

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup tahini
4 tbsp butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk together oats, flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Beat tahini and butter together until blended. Add sugars and beat until well combined. Add in egg, egg white and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Stir in oat mixture until nearly incorporated, then add in chocolate chips. Do not over mix.
Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes (or 15 minutes for a crispy cookie), until golden brown at the edges.
Remore to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 4 dozen.

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16 Comments
  • Clare Eats
    August 2, 2005

    You do such a great job with all your cookies nic!

  • Samantha
    August 2, 2005

    Yum Nic, those look delicious! I needed to pick up some tahini anyway, we’ve been making edamame hummus alot lately and are all out of tahini. These cookes would be another great use for it. I wonder if you could swap out the tahini for other nut butters… maybe I’ll try them with peanut butter (one of my favorite foods).

  • drbiggles
    August 2, 2005

    Heart Healthy Cookies? I’m skeptical. Are you sure they’re okay?

  • Oliver
    August 2, 2005

    Hey Nic!
    Perfect – consider those cookies baked! 2/3 cups of sugar for 48 pieces really doesn’t sound too bad at all. I’m all for nuts, so I might try with the walnuts, which would also perfectly go with my recent quirk: having a cookie and cappuccino (made with Indian nugget coffee beans) as an afternoon treat at the coffee shop next door. Can’t wait to see Harry’s face when I bring my own cookies 😉

  • Nic
    August 2, 2005

    Thanks Clare!

    Samantha – I think that tahini cookies would have a much less crumbly texture than peanut butter cookies. Try them and let me know how they turn out!

    Dr Biggles – You’re just biased against things with “healthy” in the name. At least I didn’t try to make them low fat!

    Oliver – Just make sure to share with the guys who work at the coffee shop! I’m sure they won’t mind if they get to try them, too.

  • violet
    August 2, 2005

    oh man. love this recipe, as well! you have great taste! i actually went through all your past posts today and gleaned the ones i wanted and wrote them down. i have a list of about six, already! including this one.

    oh, and for the polka dot print on the cookies i used a handstrainer.

  • Nic
    August 3, 2005

    Thanks for the tip, Violet. Those polka dots were adorable!

  • Elise
    August 15, 2005

    I just made these and they were amazing! I was a little doubtful when the dough smelled so tahini-y, but the baking really toned it down. I added pecans instead of walnuts, and they were a nice complement.

  • Nic
    August 16, 2005

    I’m glad you liked them, Elise. I know what you mean about the batter smelling a bit tahini-y, but it grew on me. The baking does make the flavor more subtle.

  • Anonymous
    November 1, 2005

    What is ap flour?

  • Nic
    November 1, 2005

    AP flour is my shortband for “all purpose” or “plain” flour.

  • julie
    March 7, 2006

    I’ve just made those tahini cookies, wow, fantastic! Thanks for the recipe, soon on my blog in Frenche with just a few differences!

    I have only recently discovered your blog, it’s fabulous!!

  • snbaker
    October 7, 2006

    great cookies! i substituted peanut butter for the tahini and came out perfect. they taste rich and decadent, even though PB is so much healthier than butter and there’s less eggs. I try to eat healthy, but with “light” recipes I usually binge and eat too many. However these cookies were rich enough to satisfy me with fewer.

  • mary
    December 7, 2006

    Hi. I’m eager to try your cookies, but I had one quick question. The rolled oats, is that the quick cooking kind or the full cooking version? Thanks. 🙂

  • GG
    September 15, 2008

    These cookies are absolutely fabulous. I tried these on skeptics and my kids. You must used the right ingredients and follow it precisely. Use regular rolled oats (not instant or quick cooking oats. I will try replacing the butter with Smart Balance or some good quality margarine, preferably a stick. Tahini is the key to the richness and is loaded with heart healthy oil unsaturated fats. There is sugar in them, but it’s so much better for your than the high frustose corn syrup added to the so-called “healthy” granola bars.

  • Brittany
    February 2, 2013

    Thank you so much for sharing! They were perfect! My family loves them! Thanks again!

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