I don’t have a serious sweet tooth but these Tahini and Halva Brownies are mind-blowingly amazing. Since it’s the holidays, it’s a perfect time for something a little bit more decadent and a lot of fun.

This recipe comes courtesy of Yotam Ottolenghi’s and Helen Goh’s cookbook, Sweet. As some of you may know, I’m a huge fan of Ottolenghi. Antony and I attended their event promoting their book at JCCSF in San Francisco this past October. (What a fun event and a great cookbook, by the way!)

I never considered adding tahini to brownies but it makes perfect sense once you taste it. If you’re like me and a lover of tahini, then it won’t take much convincing. Halva, on the other hand, was new to me, so I was not sure what to expect but I was all in at this point.

About halva

Halva (aka halvah, halwa, helva) is a type of Middle Eastern confection comprised of sesame seeds and sugar or honey. The origins and history are debatable with many countries having their own adaptation but they tend to fall into two categories: flour-based or seed/nut-based.

The sesame-based version is what I used for this recipe. If halva is new to you, I would describe it as this dense, sugary, slightly chewy, somewhat flaky and nutty dessert. According to Antony, it’s referred to as “Middle Eastern nougat” in France.

Always use what is available and in your budget but I prefer using freshly made halva for this recipe. Why? I found that the flavor and consistency are superior to the packaged version. During a test trial, the packaged halva I used melted into the brownie with no trace of it left. It was still delicious but a disappointment since what makes this recipe so delicious are the chunks of halva.

Fresh halva can be hard to find. If you’re in the Bay Area, I highly recommend visiting Samirami’s Imports in the Mission District of San Francisco. They have 4 or 5 types of halva sold by the pound as well as other Middle Eastern foods. The one I used for this recipe was their plain halva from Greece (pictured above).

Treat yourself to something sweet and bake this Tahini and Halva Brownie recipe. It’s quite delicious and fills any chocolate or tahini craving you might have. You can always freeze any leftovers and they are excellent with ice cream or in your breakfast oat bran as Antony can attest. 🙂

If you’re in the mood for more sweets, try our Banana Walnut Bread.

Tahini and Halva Brownies

Course Dessert

Cuisine Mediterranean

Recipe Sweets

Servings 12 big squares

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 36 minutes

Passive Time 1-2 hours

Ingredients

• 1 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter (240g) cut in small pieces ($1.50)
• 9 oz dark chocolate, 70% (260g) cut in small pieces ($5.80)
• 4 large eggs ($1.23)
• 3/4 cup + 3 tbsp all-purpose flour (120g) sifted ($0.13)
• 1/3 cup dutch process cocoa powder (30g) sifted ($1.75)
• 1 1/3 cup granulated sugar (280g) ($1.75)
• 1/2 tsp salt ($0.25)
• 7 oz halva, plain (200g) cut into 1" pieces ($4.00)
• 1/3 cup tahini paste (70g) ($0.70)

Instructions

1. Prepare all your ingredients. Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease 12 x 8 pan and line with parchment paper.
2. Fill a medium-sized saucepan with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer. Take a heatproof bowl and place on top making sure that the bottom of bowl doesn’t touch the water. Place chocolate and butter in bowl until it melts (few minutes) then carefully remove the bowl and bring to room temperature.
3. With a hand mixer, place eggs and sugar in bowl and mix on medium-high for 3 minutes until creamy. You can do this by hand with a whisk but it’ll take closer to 10 minutes.
4. Next fold in the melted chocolate and butter mixture into egg and sugar bowl. Make sure not to over mix.
5. In a separate large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix to combine.
6. Fold dry ingredients together. Then, fold in halva pieces carefully into wet mixture.
7. Spread brownie mixture on parchment-lined greased pan. Place dollops of tahini in 12 places and use a skewer to create a marbled effect on top of the brownie.
8. Bake for about 23 minutes until the edges are cooked and the middle is slightly wobbly. You may need to adjust the timing roughly +/- 3-5 minutes based on your oven and the pan you use so keep a close eye as it'll overcook quickly if you're not careful. (You’ll need more time (+ 3-5 min) if you use a smaller pan). The brownies will harden slightly once it cools down.
9. Once it’s out of the oven, wait about 45 minutes to 1 hour to eat it while it’s still warm but I prefer to eat them the next day after they have had time to set. Enjoy! (If you're going to freeze the brownies, let them cool completely then cut them before placing the brownie pieces in a freezer-friendly container.)

Recipe Notes

* Note regarding pricing:  The price for the pantry items such as sugar and flour takes into account the cost of the amount used for the recipe and not the cost if you had to purchase the entire jar or bottle. ** All prices in US dollars.