tahini buckeye cookies. everything you love about buckeye balls, with a little modern twist thanks to tahini, or sesame paste. these tahini buckeye cookies are made without peanut butter, making them totally nut-free & allergy friendly. an easy, no-bake cookie recipe to add to your holiday baking list this year!!!
whoop whoop! welcome back for DELICIOUS holiday treat! plays well with butter’s first-annual treat week continues today with these tahini buckeyes. & guys? i couldn’t be more excited about it. they. are. in.freaking.sane.
be sure to keep coming back each day this week for easy, festive, & delicious holiday treat recipes & for ideas & inspiration for the most epic holiday cookie plate EVER!
a buckeye cookie recipe without peanut butter: tahini buckeyes.
insert ALLLLL the heart eyes here, right?!
pin this tahini buckeye cookies recipe for later!!!
about a month ago, as i was planning out the recipes i wanted to make for treat week this year, i asked you guys over on instagram what some of your all-time favorite holiday treats & cookies are. & your response completely blew me away. i got, by far, the most responses i’ve ever gotten when i’ve asked you a question! there were SO many good ones too – everything ranging from your most beloved family recipes to some more popular treats, like sugar cookies, spritz cookies, & chex mix.
but if you wanna know what rose above all else…it was totally buckeyes. omg, you guys love, love, LOVE buckeyes! 
i don’t know if it’s because they’re more of a regional thing, or if it’s just not a treat my mom would make for us as kids, but i’ve never really had buckeye balls during the holiday season. & after making these tahini buckeyes, i kind of curse her for that! (?just kidding, just kidding, of course!)
but truly! they’re the tastiest little no-bake treat. they’re easy to make, call for only pantry ingredients, & you can make a whole bunch of them all at once, without much effort at all! 
pin this tahini buckeye cookies recipe for later!!!
since there are a bazillion buckeye cookie recipes all over the interwebs, i really wanted to do something a little bit different with my buckeye balls. so i put tahini in them. obviously. (in case you missed it, i have a major crush on all things tahini!)
it’s a simple swap, but it makes a world of a difference in the flavor of these buckeyes. 
(that dunk of dark chocolate doesn’t hurt either, ya know? ?)
what is tahini? {the star ingredient of nut-free buckeye cookies!}
pin this tahini buckeye cookies recipe for later!!!
simply put, tahini is a paste similar to nut butter, but it’s made entirely from sesame seeds. (ooh, fancy, right?!)
i like to think of it as peanut butter’s cooler older sister – it’s got a similar consistency & nutty flavor, but it’s definitely its own thing. & you can usually swap out peanut butter with tahini with great results.
you probably know of tahini from savory dishes, like hummus or a simple tahini dressing served over falafel, but i love, love, love using tahini in sweets. last christmas i feel totally in love with tahini chocolate chip cookies, & earlier this year i made scotcheroos with tahini (spoiler alert: they’re freaking amazing!). & of course! tahini buckeye cookies are obviously on that list now too.
how to make tahini buckeye cookies
pin this tahini buckeye cookies recipe for later!!!
aside from being the most addictive little bite-sized treat, i’m so, so, SO obsessed with these tahini buckeyes because they are beyond easy to make. SOOOOO easy to make. STUPID easy to make, actually!
all you do is…
- mix.
- ball.
- dunk!
mix, ball, dunk! that’s it! it’s a two-bowl operation, without any baking required, & it takes about 30 minutes, tops, to whip up a big ‘ol batch.
first you mix the tahini buckeye cookie dough. add the tahini to a large bowl with some softened butter, powdered sugar, pure vanilla extract, & a pinch of salt. use a hand mixer to bring the mixture together. it’ll be a little drier & more dough-like than a cookie dough ball, & that’s exactly what you want when you’re making tahini buckeyes.
next you roll the tahini buckeye balls. instead of eyeballing it, i like to use a cookie scoop to keep my tahini buckeyes really even & to speed up the process a bit. this is my favorite scoop! you can scoop them right onto a parchment-lined baking sheet because once all the buckeye balls are rolled out, you’ll pop them into the freezer to firm up before they get their dark chocolate bath. which brings us to…
the dunk! buckeyes are traditionally made with milk chocolate, but i’m of course obsessed with the perfectly bittersweet flavor of dark chocolate, so that’s what i opt for in these tahini buckeyes. like most of my dark chocolate dipped treats, i melt the dark chocolate with a smidge of coconut oil, which helps make the chocolate the perfect consistency for dunking.
most buckeye recipes call for skewering the buckeye ball with a toothpick to help you dunk it into that iconic buckeye shape. if that’s what you’re looking for, definitely freeze your tahini buckeye balls a little bit on the firmer side so they’re firm enough to hold up to a dunk! personally, i find it to be easier to just use a spoon to swirl the tahini buckeye ball around in the dark chocolate until it’s perfectly coated. 
pin this tahini buckeye cookies recipe for later!!!
…& if you ask me, there’s nothing better than a perfectly coated tahini buckeye. 
pin this tahini buckeye cookies recipe for later!!!
if you love this tahini buckeye cookies recipe, here are a few other recipes you have to try!
- tahini scotcheroos
- stuffed chocolate dipped pretzels
- almond butter shortbread cookies (2 ways!)
- dark chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies
- dessert cheese board
- all pwwb christmas recipes
be sure to follow along with me on instagram, facebook, & pinterest for more easy, modern recipes & fun!
thank you so much for reading & supporting plays well with butter. this post includes affiliate links for products i truly love & use on the reg in my own home. all opinions are always my own! should you make a purchase using one of these links, pwwb with earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps me continue to bring you great original content. ???
tahini buckeye cookies
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: no-bake
Description
tahini buckeye cookies. everything you love about buckeye balls, with a little modern twist thanks to tahini, or sesame paste. these tahini buckeye cookies are made without peanut butter, making them totally nut-free & allergy friendly. an easy, no-bake cookie recipe to add to your holiday baking list this year!!!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup tahini (see Recipe Notes)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 cups dark chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Instructions
- Roll out the buckeyes: Add the tahini, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and Kosher salt to the bowl of your stand mixer (you can also use a medium bowl with a hand mixer). Mix on medium speed until combined. The mixture will be pretty doughy. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls. I like to use a cookie scoop to ensure evenly sized buckeyes. Place the balls on a baking sheet. Once all the buckeye mixture is rolled out, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to allow the tahini buckeyes to firm up.
- Melt the chocolate: Meanwhile, as the tahini buckeyes are setting in the freezer, melt the chocolate. Add the chocolate and the coconut oil to a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, mixing the chocolate well between increments, until the chocolate is totally melted and smooth.
- Dip the tahini buckeyes in the chocolate mixture. This is traditionally done by inserting a toothpick into the center of a buckeye, then dipping it into the chocolate to create. I think it’s way easier to just pop the buckeye into the melted chocolate, move it around to coat, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet with a fork, draining off any excess chocolate. Repeat with all remaining tahini buckeyes. Place the buckeyes back in the freezer to set the chocolate. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Notes
- Tahini: As a star ingredient of these tahini buckeye cookies, you’ll want to find the best tahini you can. I love the organic tahini from Trader Joe’s – it is very well priced, & the quality is great.
Delicious! I only wish I’d thought of these first.
So glad you enjoyed, Claire!