Inspiration for these cookies came to me in a very roundabout way, via a message Emma posted on our Slack channel, who saw a post on them on Instagram.

The original recipe uses tahini, but I happen to have some black tahini on hand. Because who doesn’t? I bought it at some point and it’s been sitting in my basement, probably waiting to become chocolate chip cookies one day.

The black tahini is weird and kind of messy. I gave it a whir in a blender to un-separate it. It makes for a very odd and goth looking cookie, well-suited for a Halloween party or human sacrifice.

I brought the cookies to a weekly gathering of food industry friends (best part of any week), and I think everyone liked them. Larry wasn’t so sure about them, but they’ve grown on him. I thought they improved overnight. I used a generous pinch of fleur de sel on top of each dough ball before I slipped them into the oven, but you’ll get more control over the amount and distribution if you add it just as they’ve finished baking. It’s a personal preference – I think the salt sticks better when it’s added before baking, and I like the concentrated hit that you get for that one bite or two.

• Salted Black Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies (NYT Cooking)