Chocolate Tahini Olive Oil Cookies or Brownies (One Recipe, Two Treats)

Categories : baked sweets, desserts & sweet snacks, easy peasy, lent, Recipes, vegetarian or vegan

Chocolate biscuits (cookies) or brownies? With this plant-based recipe, featuring tahini and olive oil, you can make both! And all in just the one bowl. Want more? You can decide how crunchy or chewy they turn out! Flexible much?

Chocolate Tahini Olive Oil Cookies or Brownies (One Recipe, Two Treats) www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A top view of a cooking rack full of chocolate biscuits/cookies. Some of them are dome shaped and some are round and flat. Some of them have been sprinkled with icing sugar. To the left is a small strainer with sugar in it and to the top left is a small bowl with extra icing sugar.

Four times in a row. That’s how many times I made these to get the timings right. Or so I told myself. It was necessary. I mean, we all need chocolate biscuits on hand, don’t we?

Chocolate Tahini Olive Oil Cookies or Brownies (One Recipe, Two Treats) www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A baking dish with brownies, the piece to the front of the photo having been removed. In the background a cooling rack with biscuits/cookies on it.

I must apologise to my US friends if my using the word “biscuits” is confusing. Growing up with an English mum I only ever ate biscuits. Cookies were something from the telly. Having said that, I see more and more English recipes and writers referring to “cookies”. Is it for SEO purposes? That would make sense. Or has something changed in the UK in recent years, making cookies a thing? Is it maybe a term now used for the American-style ones, you know the ones that might also contain chocolate chips? I mean, digestives, rich tea, custard creams etc… these are all still biscuits, right? If anyone knows the answer, please enlighten me!

Chocolate Tahini Olive Oil Cookies or Brownies (One Recipe, Two Treats) www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A close view of some chocolate biscuits/cookies on a cooling rack. One of them has been broken in half, the two pieces leaning against each other – inside part facing up to the camera.

Anyway, whatever you name them, these are pretty gorgeous. Ridiculously easy to make and seriously chocolatey with a hint of saltiness. And they are plant-based too (as long as your chocolate is).

Chocolate Tahini Olive Oil Cookies or Brownies (One Recipe, Two Treats) www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A top view of a baking dish with brownies, one of them missing. Underneath there is a bunched up linen napkin. To the top of the photo a small bowl with icing sugar.

Best thing about them? They double as brownies! Ok, technically the recipe does. By adding just a bit of water these can be turned into amazing squares of gooey (or less gooey if preferred) chocolate deliciousness. Perfect with ice cream or strawberries. Did I say or? I meant and.

Chocolate Tahini Olive Oil Cookies or Brownies (One Recipe, Two Treats) www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A close view of a brownie on a cooling rack, the moist sides glistening.

In both their forms, either the biscuit/cookie form or the brownie form, their softness can be adjusted by altering cooking time (or shape). So basically these suit all preferences. For the biscuits here is what I did: I made some ball-shaped ones that turned out domed (slightly crunchy on the outside and fudgy on the inside), some thick round ones (kinda soft) and some thin round ones (crunchier). Result by personal preference: #1 domed, #2 thin, #3 thick. Below you’ll see details for 1 & 2.

Chocolate Tahini Olive Oil Cookies or Brownies (One Recipe, Two Treats) www.thefoodiecorner.gr Photo description: A close view of a domed-shaped chocolate biscuit/cookie on a cooling rack. A bite is missing, revealing the inside.

So, here is the recipe. Have a go and let me know what you think! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram so I can share in stories! (@thefoodiecorner and #thefoodiecorner)

Ingredients

2 Tbs ground flaxseed

60 ml (1/4 cup) water

125 gr dark chocolate, roughly chopped

60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil

1 tsp instant coffee granules (or 1/2 tsp espresso powder, but it has to be instant)

1/4 tsp salt

60 ml (1/4 cup) tahini

200 gr (3/4 cup) sugar

150 gr (1 cup) all purpose flour

30 gr (1/4 cup) cocoa powder (unsweetened)

60 ml (1/4 cup) water – only if making brownies!

Step 1

Combine the ground flaxseed and ¼ cup water. Set aside to thicken for about 10-15 minutes.

Step 2

Put the chocolate and olive oil in a large bowl and microwave in short bursts (about 15 seconds each) until the chocolate melts. Stir well in-between bursts to help the melting process along.

Step 3

When melted and smooth, stir the instant coffee granules and salt into the chocolate mixture, followed by the tahini, sugar and flaxseed mixture.

Step 4

Preheat oven to 160C fan assisted (180C conventional).

Step 5

Add the flour and then the cocoa to the bowl, and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until incorporated. You will get a smooth dough-like mixture.

Step 6

For the cookies: Take 2 level tablespoons (total 30ml) worth of the dough and shape into a ball. Place on a lined baking tray and repeat with the rest of the mixture. You should get about 18-20 balls. Space them slightly apart but they won’t flatten completely. Bake for 20 minutes (see notes). Let cool for a few minutes then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Step 7

For the brownies: After adding the cocoa and stirring a little, add the ¼ cup of water. Continue stirring until you get a thick batter (it won’t be runny). Smooth it out into a small greased baking dish or pan (22x16cm). Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on how fudgy you want the brownies. The more you bake the less fudgy they will be. Remove from the oven and let cool in the baking dish. Slice and serve.

Notes:
-The surface of the biscuits/cookies and brownies won’t look or feel cooked even when they are. They will harden after they are removed from the oven and start to cool. So don’t go by looks. Go by my timings and if our ovens aren’t a match you can adjust times the second time you make them. I am confident there will be a second time. And even if they are a bit fudgier or drier than you prefer they will still be delicious, so go with me on this!
-For flat biscuits/cookies just press the dough balls down into a round shape on the tray (careful of the edges breaking) and cook for 12-13 minutes.
-The icing sugar in the photos is purely for styling purposes. These babies don’t need anything extra. They just looked way too brown to be photographed as they were.