Tahini and chocolate date brownies recipe
While brownies might not sound like a typically Middle Eastern sweet treat, the addition of tahini blends the culinary traditions of the Levant with more familiar Western flavours.
This recipe uses Medjool dates to allow for less processed sugar. Dates also add a warm bass-note sweetness that’s absent from white sugar. These brownies will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container, and also freeze well.
Ingredients
- 12 pitted Medjool dates
- 300 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 350 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into chunks
- 4 large eggs
- 200 g caster (superfine) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla paste
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 175 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 50 g pistachios, roughly chopped
- 8 tsp tahini
- 12 pitted Medjool dates
- 10.6 oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 12.3 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into chunks
- 4 large eggs
- 7.1 oz caster (superfine) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla paste
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6.2 oz plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1.8 oz pistachios, roughly chopped
- 8 tsp tahini
- 12 pitted Medjool dates
- 10.6 oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 12.3 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into chunks
- 4 large eggs
- 7.1 oz caster (superfine) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla paste
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6.2 oz plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1.8 oz pistachios, roughly chopped
- 8 tsp tahini
Details
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Recipe Type: Brownie
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 40 mins
- Serves: 30
Step-by-step
- Soak the dates in warm water for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease a 20 x 30cm (8 x 12-inch) baking pan and line it with baking paper.
- Drain the dates and blitz them in a food processor until a paste forms. Scrape into a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Place the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until the chocolate is half melted, then take the saucepan off the heat and continue to stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Set aside to cool.
- Put the eggs, sugar, and vanilla into the mixing bowl of dates and whisk with an electric whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Fold the cocoa powder and flour through the egg mixture until completely combined. Then, stir in the melted chocolate and butter along with the pistachios.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, then dot the tahini on top, in random spots around the pan. Drag a skewer through the tahini to create an attractive lighter swirl on top.
- Bake the brownies in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes, until firm to the touch but still soft and gooey in the centre – they may need an extra 5 minutes, depending on your oven. The brownies will continue to cook as they cool.
- Allow the brownies to cool completely, then remove them from the pan and cut them into 30 squares.
This recipe is from Middle Eastern Sweets: Desserts, Pastries, Creams & Treats by Salma Hage. Published by Phaidon, £24.95. Photography by Liz and Max Haarala Hamilton.
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