If there’s even a tiny bit of open space in your freezer, you owe it to yourself to make these cookies. The whole concept is genius: make a batch now, roll it into a log, and keep it in the freezer until you want a fresh-baked treat. The cookies are easy to slice as thick or thin as you’d like, and they can go straight from freezer to oven — with no time required for thawing.

This recipe takes the slice-and-bake tradition and gives it a modern twist, using a surprise ingredient that’s probably already in your pantry – tahini. Our test kitchen chef shared this recipe’s backstory: “I wanted to develop a freezer cookie recipe that was easy to make, universally likable, and put a fresh twist on old favorites. So I created a cookie that pairs sweet, soft, and chewy tahini dough with a fudgy bittersweet chocolate-tahini dough. The flavor combo is similar to peanut butter-chocolate, which makes it family-friendly and comforting.”

After pressing the two different doughs together into one log, each slice will have a visually appealing split of light and dark brown. While it looks impressive, only you need to know how easy this recipe was to create. And what’s better than having more dough handy for the next time you want a freshly baked cookie (which is just about any time, right?).

Servings: 30 cookies

Ingredients

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

½ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup tahini

1 egg

¾ tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

Directions

1. Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Using a microwave, heat the chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring between each, until the chocolate is fully melted. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and set on low speed, cream together the butter and sugars until combined and slightly fluffy, about 1 minute.

4. Add the tahini and mix until well combined, about 1 minute.

5. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

6. Add ½ of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat with the remaining flour mixture.

7. Transfer half of the dough to the bowl you used for the dry ingredients and set it aside.

8. Add the melted chocolate and cocoa powder to the dough in the mixing bowl and beat on medium-low, just until combined. You will now have one light dough and one dark dough.

9. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap about 1 ½ feet long. Tear the dark dough into large pieces, lay them in a row along the middle of the plastic wrap, and gently form them into a log 1 to 2 inches thick and about 10 inches long.

10. Repeat this process with the light dough, placing the pieces flush along one side of the dark dough, to form a second log.

11. Smooth the light and dark dough together to form one log, wrap it in plastic, and gently roll it on the counter to smooth out the dough and even out the width.

12. Place the dough in the freezer for at least 2 hours to chill. Note: the dough will keep for up to one month in the freezer.

13. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350° and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

14. Remove the dough from the freezer and peel back the plastic wrap. Cut the dough into ½-inch-thick slices and place the slices 2 inches apart on the prepared pan. Note: you can bake all of the cookies at this time — or slice off as much as you want and return the wrapped dough to the freezer.

15. Bake the cookies for 10 to 13 minutes, or until just starting to brown on the edges. Remove the pan from the oven, let the cookies cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Calculate nutrition information for this recipe.