These delicious tahini brownies are fudgy, chocolatey and swirled with nutty tahini! If you love creamy, earthy tahini, you will love this brownie recipe. Chocolate and tahini are a must-try flavor combination!
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.
Why This Recipe Works
- Tahini and chocolate are delicious together. The nutty flavor of tahini truly enhances the chocolate flavor!
Instructions
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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Tahini Brownies
Ingredients
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup tahini room temperature, divided
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 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.
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Barbara Briggs Ward
Love those yummy swirls!
Natalie
Most delicious tahini chocolate swirls! Thank you!! 🙂