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Rich, soft, and sweetened just right with honey, these cookie bars are everything you love about a classic chocolate chip cookie—only thicker, softer, and even more irresistible. Made with salted butter, brown sugar, honey, tahini, eggs, and vanilla, each bar bakes up ultra-doughy with gooey pockets of dark chocolate throughout. They’re the kind of treat you’ll keep sneaking back to for “just one more bite.”
For the past two weeks, my little five-year-old brother, Oslo, has been asking for cookies every single night. He loves a good sugar cookie and will happily bite into anything with lots of chocolate.
After a holiday season full of sweet treats, I wanted to bake him something a little less sugary—but still very fun and very delicious. With an upcoming trip to Aspen, I thought cookie bars would be the perfect bake-ahead treat to send them off with. And honestly, it felt good to finally give Oslo the cookies he’s been requesting nonstop.
These bars come together quickly and are always a crowd favorite. The key is not overbaking—you want them soft and doughy in the center. “Half Baked” is exactly the idea.
The tahini adds a subtle nutty depth, while the honey keeps the sweetness balanced, making these feel just right for the new year. Cozy, simple, and so good.
Here are the details
Ingredients
- salted butter
- brown sugar
- honey – this is my favorite raw honey
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- tahini
- flour
- baking soda
- salt
- dark chocolate chips
- dark chocolate chunks
From the Kitchen
All you’ll need is a stand mixer or hand mixer, a bowl, and a baking dish for these cookies.
The Steps
Step 1: Beat the Wet Ingredients
Beat the butter with the brown sugar and honey until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition so they incorporate evenly. Stir in the vanilla extract and tahini. This step is quick and simple, but it sets the foundation for that soft, doughy texture.
Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
Step 3: Add the Chocolate
Fold in a generous mix of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks. Using both gives you pockets of melty chocolate throughout the bars, which makes them extra delicious and perfectly chocolatey.
Step 4: Bake
Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan and bake just until the edges are set and the center is still soft. These bars are meant to be doughy, so underbaking is key. Baking too long will dry them out, especially since the tahini absorbs some moisture.
You can slice into the bars while they’re still warm and enjoy that melty chocolate goodness right away—so good!
I packed up my last batch for my family, and they absolutely loved them. My mom especially loved how lightly sweet they are. The tahini adds a subtle nutty flavor without overpowering, and of course, all that chocolate makes every bar extra irresistible!
Looking for other dessert recipes? Here are my favorites:
5 Ingredient Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies
Healthier Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies
Healthy…ish Homemade Samoas Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Doughy Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Tahini Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2/3 cup tahini
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips, or chunks
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking 9x13 inch dish with parchment paper.2. In a bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, honey, and tahini until combined. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, beating until creamy. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips/chunks.3. Spread the dough out into the prepared dish. Bake 16-20 minutes for a doughy cookie bar. They will continue to cook slightly. The longer you bake, the more set the cookies will be.4. Let cool 30 minutes or so, then cut into bars. Eat and enjoy, or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I followed the recipe exactly but they turned out dry. No, I didn’t leave it in the oven too long.
Hi Emma.
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear they came out dry for you, I’m not sure what would cause this!
These weren’t my favorite and I have to say the title wasn’t super appealing 😅
Hi Christine,
Sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for the feedback!
These were super dry, and I think they are supposed to be chewy? I love ALL your recipes, these are still yummy but feel I did something wrong, as yours looked very different. Anyhow, love all your stuff regardless 🙂
Hi Eliza,
Thanks so much for trying these cookie bars and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear the bars were dry, my guess is they were baked slightly too long. Let me know if you make them again!
Love these, they came out nice and gooey. And I liked the subtle nutty flavor of the tahini. Maybe it worked for me because my tahini was fresh and pretty runny?
Hey Hannah,
I’m grateful you tried this recipe and took the time to comment. Delighted it turned out!
I lovvvvve these! Embarrassed to admit I ate half the pan myself over the weekend. The tahini wasn’t too overpowering and it added a nice extra flavor.
Thanks so much, Chelsea! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Have a great Monday!
Trying to eat cleaner and 2 sticks of butter feels like a lot for me! What can I sub?
Hi Elaine,
So sorry, I have only tested this recipe with the butter. Here are some other recipes you might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/healthy-ish-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/healthy-bake-salted-dark-chocolate-chunk-oatmeal-cookie-bars/
I hope this helps! Have a great week!
The taste was ok but they were a little too doughy for my liking I didn’t want to over bake but just not my favorite
Hi Dale,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love them!
Addendum to my prior comment: This recipe was delicious!! I let it cool in the baking dish. It came out perfect & ‘fudgy’. I wound up topping it with vanilla ice cream. Hubby LOVED it! I especially loved the hint of the tahini. Thank you!
Yay!! Thanks so much, Athena! Love to hear these were enjoyed!
These were unfortunately pretty crumbly for me despite following the recipe exactly.
Hey Felicia,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. Sorry to hear they were crumbly. Sounds like they were possibly baked for too long. Have a great Sunday!
Just made these & I’m just waiting for them to cool. Is it best to cool in the pan or take it out & put on a wire rack? I cannot wait to bite into one!
Hey Athena,
Thanks for trying this recipe! Let them cool in the pan:) I hope you love this recipe! Happy Sunday!
Wondering if this would work with almond or coconut flour, please
Hi Jann,
I think best would be a gluten free flour blend. I hope you love this recipe, let me know how it turns out!
Hi,
Is it possible to use either almond or coconut flour?
Hi Lisa,
For best results, I would do a gluten free flour blend. Let me know if you give these cookie bars a try!
I’ll probably try that myself, maybe 1/2 & 1/2 reg to almond flour to start. Chickpea flour may be worth a shot too…
Hello. Any way to make this without butter?
Hi Lisa,
So sorry, I have not tested this recipe without butter. Please let me know if you give it a try!
Happy Friday!
You say to cut into them warm, then you say let cool 30 minutes. Which is it?
Hi Sue,
They are still going to be warm after 30 minutes, I would just give them a little time to sit:) I hope you love this recipe!
I love when you post some chocolate chip and tahini thing every year around this time! Any visual cues to know when they’re done? I don’t want to overbake them, but I want to make sure they’re done enough. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Amanda! You will want them to be golden on top and the edges to be set. I hope you love these cookie bars! Happy Friday!
I don’t like tahini so I don’t really wanna buy it just for this recipe. Can I omit?
Hi Erika,
I would just choose one of my other cookie bar recipes to make:) Here are some options you might like:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/healthy-ish-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/brown-butter-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/healthy-dark-chocolate-chunk-oatmeal-cookie-bars-idiot-proof/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/cinnamon-chocolate-chip-pumpkin-bars/
You could also use another nut butter that you enjoy. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Friday!