Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Tahini

 I found this recipe in a cookbook titled Vibrant India by Chita Agrawal. Of course I couldn’t just follow the recipe! Never. The original called for more butter, didn’t include tahini, had walnuts, but sounded very intriguing. I love cardamom and rarely get to use it. Here’s an opportunity!

I recently discovered a new show on Hulu: The Great American Baking Show. It’s exactly like the British version, but the contestants are American. Watching baking on TV always makes me want to get in the kitchen and start mixing up ingredients. Very dangerous. And delicious. 

Chocolate chip cookies are particularly dangerous for me. I love most kinds of cookies, but soft, warm, melty chocolate chippers are impossible to resist. Throw some extras in there, like golden raisins or tahini, and I just might swoon. 

I always cut back on the amount of sugar in my cookies. Especially when adding sweet stuff like chocolate chips and raisins, I find the dough doesn’t need nearly as much sugar. However, I tend to appreciate treats that are less sweet. If you have a raging sweet tooth, feel free to add more.

This is my tweaked version:

INGREDIENTS 

1 stick unsalted butter, softened 

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1 egg, beaten 

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 cup tahini 

3 cups quick oats 

1/2 cup all purpose flour 

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp cardamom powder 

1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup golden raisins 

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips 

Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add egg and beat well. Add tahini and vanilla. Mix well. Add oats and stir until incorporated. Add dry ingredients to form dough. Add chocolate chips and raisins. Chill dough for 20 minutes or longer. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop cookie dough onto greased baking sheet or use Silpat nonstick sheet. Bake about 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of cookie dough. I like my cookies soft and not too browned. Cool cookies before storing in sealed container. Makes at least a dozen large cookies.