These oil-free vegan tahini cookies are both crisp and chewy and melt in your mouth with rich sesame and rosemary flavor. Try them with or without chocolate chips for a fun and sophisticated vegan Christmas cookie! Oil-free, gluten-free, nut-free.

You know I love a good oil-free vegan cookie. From Gluten-Free Thumbprints to Spiced Tahini Cookies, creating delicious cookies without butter, oil, or refined sugar is so much fun!

And if you're a fan of rosemary, there's nothing quite like a rosemary cookie. These get a lovely, crisp-yet-chewy texture from tahini and oat flour and are sweetened with coconut sugar for a warm, caramel-y flavor.

I've been a fan of rosemary cookies for a while now and love these quirky Rosemary and Roasted Honeynut Squash Cookies. But those are made with coconut oil, which not everyone is into. So let's take a look at how to make these oil-free cookies!

Ingredients

Here's a quick rundown of the ingredients and equipment needed. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe for complete instructions.

oat flour (store-bought or make your own in a blender from regular rolled oats)
rolled oats
baking soda
sea salt (omit if using salted tahini)
tahini
coconut sugar
maple syrup
non-dairy milk of choice (I used plain soy milk)
vanilla
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
chocolate chips, optional

About the chocolate chips... I recently picked up some of the new unsweetened cacao chips from Trader Joe's. They're 100% chocolate, no sugar, no dairy. And since these cookies are already more of an adult sort of cookies, I wanted to see how the bitter, dark, unsweetened chocolate would taste in these. The verdict?

We liked them both ways! Initially Mark was very anti-chocolate chip and preferred the plain rosemary tahini cookies, but after a few more tries he decided the chocolate was good, too.

So I'd say skip the chocolate chips if you want the rosemary flavor to be more dominant, or include them if you're a big chocolate fan.

Using semi-sweet chocolate chips will make the cookies taste slightly more sweet overall, while unsweetened chocolate should be reserved only for those of you who love the naturally bitter flavor of cacao.

chopping rosemary and showing wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls

How To Make and Store

These tahini cookies are as simple to make as any other cookie, which I love! The basic process goes like this:

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Preheat the oven to 370 degrees Fahrenheit (188 C), and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Stir together the wet ingredients in another bowl.
Mix the two together, and fold in chocolate chips, if using.
Scoop up approximately 1 ½ tablespoons of dough per cookie, and place several inches apart.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.

The cookies will be very soft right out of the oven, so don't let that fool you into thinking they're not done. Let stand for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Once cool, the cookies will be lightly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator, if you prefer.

Tips for the Best Cookies

Tahini
I tested this recipe several times and can pretty much guarantee that the biggest variable you'll encounter in making these is the type of tahini you use.

A thicker, drier tahini creates a drier dough, while a very thin and runny tahini creates a more oily and moist dough (pictured above). The two brands of tahini I tested both produced delicious cookies, but the difference in the dough was substantial!

For the best results always stir tahini very well to re-incorporate the natural oils of the sesame seeds. And if the tahini has been refrigerated, and you have time, allow it to come to room temperature first.

Baking Soda
It's always a good idea to pay attention to baking soda (and baking powder) when adding it to any recipe. If it's slightly clumpy, either sift it into the mixing bowl, or simply use your fingers to break up the clumps.

This is less of an issue with cookies but much more important with cakes or breads, when you're using a larger amount of leavener.

a bite taken out of cookie to show texture

I hope you enjoy these Rosemary Tahini Cookies. If you try the recipe be sure to leave a comment and star rating below to let everyone know how they turned out!

More Oil-Free Vegan Cookies:

Sunbutter Cookies
Spiced Tahini Oatmeal Cookies
Easiest Almond Flour Cookies
Almond Flour Pecan Sandies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Protein Cookies
Cashew Butter Cookies
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe

Vegan Rosemary Tahini Cookies

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

Oil-free and made with oat flour, these rich vegan rosemary cookies are delicious anytime, though they do make a delightful vegan Christmas cookie!

5 from 10 votes

Servings: cookies

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 25

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Equipment

Ingredients

¾ cup oat flour (68 grams) - Ensure certified gluten-free oats if needed.
scant ¼ cup rolled oats
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt - Omit if using salted tahini.
½ cup tahini - Stir well; should be thin and runny.
½ cup coconut sugar - Sub slightly lesser amount of another granulated sweetener if desired.
2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 full tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
3 to 4 tablespoons chocolate chips, optional - Semi-sweet or unsweetened for a bitter chocolate flavor.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 370 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
In a mixing bowl whisk together the oat flour, oats, baking soda, and sea salt, if using.
In a small bowl combine the tahini, coconut sugar, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and most of the rosemary (reserve just a pinch of rosemary to press into the tops of the cookies). Add tahini mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in chocolate chips, if using.
Use a small cookie scoop (I use this 1.5 tablespoon scoop) or a spoon to scoop up approx 1 ½ tablespoons of dough per cookie. Gently smooth the ball of dough in your palms and flatten slightly. Place on cookie sheet 2 ½ to 3 inches apart; they will spread during baking. Then, just to ensure the rosemary is visible, press the reserved pieces of chopped rosemary into the tops of the cookies wherever needed.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Cookies are very soft straight from the oven. Let stand 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes

Storage

Once cool, store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They can also be kept in the refrigerator or frozen for up to 2 months.