Tahini Brownies (with Nutty Tahini Swirl)

Sliced Tahini Brownies with a tahini and sugar swirl.

5 from 2 votes

Tahini Brownies (with Nutty Tahini Swirl)

These Tahini Brownies take a classic American dessert and give it a Middle Eastern spin that’s both surprising and irresistible. They come together with minimal effort and standard pantry ingredients.

Prep Time20

Cook Time28

Total Time48

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Middle Eastern

Servings: Squares

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $10

Ingredients

For the Brownies

1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips (divided) - 170 grams
¼ cup Light olive oil - 50 grams
¼ cup Tahini - 64 grams
1 cup White sugar - 200 grams
½ cup Light brown sugar - 106 grams
3 Large eggs
2 tsp Vanilla extract
¾ cup All purpose flour - 94 grams
6 tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder - 30 grams
1 tsp Kosher salt

For the Tahini Swirl

¼ cup Tahini - 64 grams
3 tbsp Powdered sugar - 23 grams

Instructions

Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 9‑inch square pan with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate. In a heatproof bowl, combine ½ cup of chocolate chips with olive oil. Microwave at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until melted. Let cool slightly.
Mix Wet Ingredients. In a large bowl, add tahini, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk for about 60 seconds until slightly thickened.
Add in Melted Chocolate Mixture. Add the cooled, melted chocolate to the tahini mixture and stir until smooth.
Add the Dry Ingredients. Into the wet ingredients, fold in the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and remaining chocolate chips with a rubber spatula until just combined.
Pour into Pan. Spread the brownie batter evenly into your prepared baking pan.
Make the Tahini Swirl. Make the swirl by mixing tahini and powdered sugar into a thick paste. Drop dollops on top of the brownie batter. Gently swirl with a knife.
Bake. Bake on the middle rack for 28–30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan and on a wire rack (at least 2 hours) before slicing and serving.

Notes

Refer to the post above for step-by-step recipe photos, helpful tips and advice.

Key Ingredient Notes:

Semi‑sweet Chocolate Chips: Provides the chocolate backbone; use good quality for best melt and flavor.
Olive oil: I am using light olive oil here instead of butter, which is usually more traditional. The olive oil gives the brownies a slightly lighter texture, but it also just makes sense to use olive oil in these Tahini Brownies as we play up the Middle Eastern flavors.
Tahini: This Middle Eastern paste made from sesame seeds is a pantry staple for me. You can get it at most grocery stores or online. It has a nutty flavor profile, which works really well with the decadent chocolate brownie base. Make sure to stir your tahini well before using it, as it can separate if it sits too long between uses.
Sugar: My recipe calls for 3 different types of sugar. White, Light Brown, and Powdered. The white and brown sugar are used in the brownie base, and the powdered sugar is used to sweeten the tahini when preparing the swirl.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: I am using Dutch process cocoa but if you don’t have that, standard cocoa powder will be just fine. Just make sure it is unsweetened.

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