Chewy Date Chocolate Chip Cookies

July cookies, my birthday gift to you

Did you ever wonder what would happen if you took tahini and olive oil and added them to a cookie? Yeah, most people haven't. These large cookies are an interesting combination of a little bit savory and a little bit sweet, with a heavy slant towards Middle Eastern flavors. Also, the use of olive oil and tahini makes these a lovely dairy-free option if you're looking.

I've made this with medjool dates, as well as other, more firm dates. Use the ones you love or have on hand. Please don't use prechopped dates, as they are often coated in powder to minimize sticking and this would impact the texture of your cookie.

The nuts are optional but having a little bit of crunch in a cookie is a good thing, methinks.

You can easily double this recipe if you feel like sharing.

Chewy Date Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 16 - 20 large cookies

Ingredients

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup well-mixed tahini

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

10 Medjool dates, pitted, chopped (use scissors to make this an easier project)

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate chopped, divided

6 oz. chopped walnuts or pistachios, optional

Flaky sea salt

Directions

Whisk flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat eggs, oil, tahini, and vanilla in a large bowl on medium speed until creamy and emulsified, about 2 minutes. (You can also do this by hand with a whisk, but be sure to beat the mixture very well to get the creamy texture.) Beat in granulated sugar and brown sugar until combined, about 45 seconds. Reduce speed to low and beat in dry ingredients, chopped dates, chopped chocolate, and pistachios scraping down sides of bowl as needed, just until combined, about 30 seconds. Cover dough and chill at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Using a large cookie scoop, portion out dough onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 3" apart. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Working with one baking sheet at a time, bake cookies until golden brown around the edges, 13–15 minutes. Let cookies cool 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

Enjoy!