Cinnamon-Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie-Dough Yogurt Bowl
Cinnamon-Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie-Dough Yogurt Bowl
This chilled yogurt bowl takes its cookie-dough character from vanilla, cinnamon, tahini, and mini chocolate chips. It contains no raw flour or raw egg. Tahini gives the mixture a toasted sesame flavor rather than the peanut-butter profile used in many cookie-dough bowls, while instant pudding mix provides enough structure for a thick, spoonable finish.
Yield: 1 generous bowl or 2 small portions
Prep time: 10 minutes
Rest and chill time: 20 minutes
Equipment: medium mixing bowl, whisk, flexible spatula, measuring spoons, serving bowl
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (170 g) plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) well-stirred tahini
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Small pinch of fine salt
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) mini semisweet chocolate chips, divided
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, optional
- 1 to 2 teaspoons milk, only if needed
Method
- Prepare the tahini. Stir the tahini in its jar until the oil and sesame paste are fully recombined. Measure it into the mixing bowl. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt, then whisk until smooth and glossy.
- Add the yogurt. Whisk in the Greek yogurt until no tan streaks remain. Scrape the base and sides of the bowl so concentrated tahini does not hide underneath.
- Thicken gradually. Sprinkle the instant pudding mix evenly over the yogurt rather than dropping it in one mound. Whisk for 20 to 30 seconds, then leave the bowl undisturbed for 3 minutes. The mixture should become thick enough to hold a soft ridge from the whisk.
- Adjust only if necessary. If the mixture becomes pasty or difficult to stir, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time, using no more than 2 teaspoons. Different yogurt brands contain different amounts of moisture, so the milk may not be needed.
- Finish and chill. Fold in 2 teaspoons of the chocolate chips and the sesame seeds, if using. Spoon into a serving bowl, scatter over the remaining chips, and refrigerate for 15 minutes before serving.
Exact texture cues
Use instant pudding mix, not cook-and-serve pudding, which will remain gritty without heat. Thick Greek yogurt works best; ordinary yogurt may produce a loose mixture. Properly mixed tahini should pour in a slow ribbon. If the tahini is hard and dry at the bottom of the jar, stirring it into the yogurt will leave bitter clumps.
The finished bowl should be creamy and dense, not firm enough to roll. Letting it stand after adding the pudding is important because the powder continues to hydrate. Add milk only after that pause, or the bowl may become thinner than intended.
Troubleshooting and substitutions
If the bowl tastes too sharp, add another teaspoon of maple syrup. If it is too loose after chilling, whisk in 1 additional teaspoon of instant pudding mix and wait 3 minutes. For a less pronounced sesame flavor, use 2 teaspoons tahini instead of a full tablespoon. Sunflower-seed butter can replace tahini, although the flavor will change. Chopped dark chocolate can replace mini chips.
Tahini and optional sesame seeds are sesame allergens; use a suitable seed butter if needed and check the labels on pudding mix and chocolate for other allergens. Keep the bowl refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or colder and use within 2 days. Do not leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Freezing is not recommended because thawed yogurt can separate.
