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Home » Recipes » Brownies & Bars Recipes

Tahini Brownies

Published: Feb 8, 2020 · Modified: Oct 30, 2021 by Natalie · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

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Nutty, creamy tahini swirls in so nicely with the chocolate in these decadent tahini brownies. It’s an amazing, must-try flavor combination and recipe!

Gooey, fudgy tahini brownie slices with gorgeous swirls of chocolate and tahini on top.

I don’t often try to come up with new brownie recipes since classic brownies are already pretty much perfect! One of the few ingredients that I think truly adds to and (dare I say) improves on the flavor of brownies is tahini!

ABOUT TAHINI

Tahini is a delicious, nutty paste made from ground toasted sesame seeds. It’s creamy, versatile, and nutritious. You’ve almost definitely already tried tahini since it’s one of the main ingredients, along with chickpeas, in hummus.

TAHINI AND CHOCOLATE

Tahini is amazing in vegetable sides, but it also makes a dream combination with CHOCOLATE! The nutty flavor of tahini truly enhances the chocolate flavor!

Fudgy, dense brownie squares topped with chocolate and tahini with cocoa, a knife and spoon next to them.

HOW TO MAKE TAHINI BROWNIES

In addition to preheating the oven to 350 F, there are a few of other things I like to do first off. One of those things is buttering and lining an 8″ pan with parchment paper. It’s a good idea to leave at least an inch of excess parchment on two sides of the pan. You’ll be able to use it to easily lift the brownies out of the pan later on.

It’s also a good idea to melt the butter and chocolate right away so that it has time to cool before adding it to the eggs and sugar mixture. You can use a double boiler for this, but I find the microwave easier.

To make it easier/faster to melt, cut the butter into cubes and chop the chocolate. Combine them in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave them for 20 seconds at a time. Stir well in between intervals and continue until melted.

Tahini and powdered sugar being stirred together.

The other thing I like to prepare is the topping. Tahini is super creamy and delicious as is, but it’s nice to add a little sweetness to it since we’re using it in a dessert recipe here.

For the topping, combine 1/4 of a cup of tahini with two tablespoons of powdered sugar. Stir well to remove any lumps and set aside.

I’ve heard of people adding maple syrup instead of powdered sugar, so that’s an option. I’ve tried that combo in salad dressing, but haven’t tried it with the brownies yet.

Mixing brownie batter in a bowl with a spatula.

PREPARING THE REST OF THE TAHINI BROWNIE BATTER

Next you’ll want to prepare your dry ingredients. Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt and set aside.

You’ll notice there’s no baking powder in this recipe. We’re going for rich, dense brownies rather than cakey brownies, so that’s why we’re leaving the baking powder out. Leaving the baking powder out means the brownies won’t rise too much and will leave them nice and gooey.

Next, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars in a large bowl for about a minute or until mixture becomes pale and creamy. Whisk in the vanilla, followed by the remaining 2 tablespoons of tahini and the chocolate-butter mixture. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula to gently stir in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined then pour into the prepared pan. Be careful not to overmix!

Fudgy chocolatey brownie batter in a pan with tahini drizzled and swirled on top.

TAHINI SWIRLS

Now for the fun part! Grab the tahini-powdered sugar (or maple syrup mixture) and a teaspoon or a baby spoon. Scoop up a spoonful of the topping and drizzle it in little squiggles over top of the brownie batter.

Next, use a toothpick or the tip of a knife to gently make swirls in the batter. Do just a few swirls in each section as you make your way across the mixture. Be careful not to over-swirl or you won’t get the cool marbled look. 

Place the pan in the middle of the oven and bake 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out witH a few crumbs when inserted in the middle of the brownies. Do not wait until it comes out with no crumbs. 

Freshly baked tahini brownies.

LETTING THE BROWNIES COOL

The hardest part about this recipe is waiting for the brownies to cool before breaking into them! They look and smell sooooo good when you take them out of the oven, but it’s definitely a good idea to let them cool for an hour or two. Cool them at room temperature or in the fridge.

They’ll hold together better when you cut them and you’ll have less of them all stuck to the knife. Believe it or not, their flavor develops even more while they cool, so do your best to be patient!

HOW TO CUT THE BROWNIES

Lift the brownies out of the pan before cutting into them. I prefer to cut these into 9 big squares. That means almost every piece gets lots of the gooey middle and the crispy, buttery, crusty edge! You can also cut them into smaller squares. Just decide what size you want before you start cutting into them.

Cut them into thirds and then rotate them and cut into thirds again if you want 9 pieces. For smaller pieces, cut the brownies in half down the middle and then in half on both sides. Rotate the brownies and do the same thing (cut them down the middle and then down the middle of the two sides).

To lessen the likelihood of having some of the brownies stick to the knife, spray your knife with a little cooking spray or stick it under warm water in between cutting sections.

Another good tip is to try to cut the sections with as little motion as possible and to avoid using a sawing motion.

A close up of gooey, chocolatey tahini brownies.

I wish I could make these tahini brownies for everyone but sharing the recipe’s the next best thing! Chocolate lovers, tahini lovers, and really all dessert lovers will love them!

FOR MORE CHOCOLATE RECIPES INCLUDING MY OTHER FAVORITE BROWNIE RECIPE, TRY MY:

  • AVOCADO BROWNIES
  • EDIBLE BROWNIE BATTER
  • SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Tahini Brownies

Natalie
These gooey, fudgy tahini brownies are rich, flavorful and decadent. The swirls of tahini and chocolate makes them extra special and delicious!
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Course Baking, Brownies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 9 large or 16 small brownies

Ingredients
  

  • 4 oz semisweet chocolate
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini room temperature, divided
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions
 

  • With the oven rack in the middle position, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8 inch square pan with enough parchment paper to create an overhang of at least two inches on two sides.
  • Melt the butter and semisweet chocolate together in a bowl in the microwave. Microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Set aside to cool.
  • In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the tahini and the powdered sugar. Set aside.
  • Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, briskly whisk together the eggs and sugars for about a minute or until mixture becomes pale and creamy. Whisk in the vanilla, followed by the remaining 2 tablespoons of tahini and the reserved butter/melted chocolate mixture. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula to gently stir in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined then pour into the prepared pan.
  • Use a teaspoon to drizzle the prepared tahini-powdered sugar mixture overtop. To do so, scoop some of the mixture onto your spoon and drizzle it in swirls over the top of the mixture. Next, use a toothpick or the tip of a knife to gently make swirls in the batter. Do just a few swirls in each section as you make your way across the mixture. Be careful not to over-swirl or you won't get the cool marbled look. 
  • Bake 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs when inserted in the middle of the brownies. Do not wait until it comes out with no crumbs. 
  • Cool in the pan for at least 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour in the fridge. 
Tried this Recipe? Let us know!Let us know how it was!
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Comments

  1. Barbara Briggs Ward

    February 25, 2020 at 12:34 am

    5 stars
    Love those yummy swirls!

    Reply
    • Natalie

      March 17, 2021 at 1:07 pm

      Most delicious tahini chocolate swirls! Thank you!! 🙂

      Reply

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I’m Natalie, the baker and photographer here at Parsley and Icing! Here you will find a collection of delicious and decadent dessert recipes made with fresh, from scratch ingredients! More About Natalie and Parsley and Icing

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