Extra gooey chocolate brownies with a generous swirl of creamy, nutty tahini. This recipe changes the brownies game in the best way!
The occasional addition of nuts or a swirl of peanut butter to gooey chocolate brownies is nice, but if you’re really looking to step up the brownie game, then look no further than tahini!
What is tahini?
Most folks have only experienced tahini in a creamy hummus dip or a tangy tahini sauce atop a juicy kabob, which I highly recommend.
If you’re not familiar, tahini is a paste that is made roasted and pressed sesame seeds offering a creamy texture and a delicious nutty flavor. Aside from its rich taste and decadent, creamy texture, tahini is also nutritious with a good dose of fiber, protein, iron, and vitamins. I love to use it in many savory applications like hummus or this tahini tomato cucumber salad, which goes with nearly anything grilled, particularly kofta kebabs.
But my friends, it’s time to expand the tahini experience to desserts, because something magical happens with you mix nutty, rich tahini with chocolate to create the perfect gooey brownies with a special twist!
Extra gooey brownies with tahini!
The point of this tahini brownies recipe is not to simply swrill a bit of the nutty stuff into the brownie batter. No, it’s actually the other way around!
Here, tahini is a key ingredient. First, you’ll make a melty chocolate mixture, then you’ll stir it into a tahini-based batter. Game changer! You’ll be using less butter because tahini adds a good bit of moisture. And you’ll only be using about 1/3 cup of flour in this recipe, which results in extra gooey fudge brownies with a rich, nutty flavor–better than any peanut butter brownies you’ve tried.
Where to buy tahini?
If you can’t find quality tahini near you, check out our online shop for Organic Soom Tahini made from roasted and pressed Ethiopian sesame seeds. And, there is even chocolate tahini that you can spread on your toast (you may say goodbye to nutella!). For a full guide to this incredible Mediterranean ingredient, check out our What Is Tahini article.
More recipes using tahini:
Mediterranean Diet Recipes
Creamy Tahini Date Banana Shake
Desserts
Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Middle Eastern
Easy Baba Ganoush Recipe
Tahini Brownies Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp salted butter plus more for the skillet
- 4 oz bittersweet dark chocolate chips
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup tahini
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square pan with 2 pieces of foil (crossed, and with excess hanging over on all sides of the pan). Lightly brush the foil with butter.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and immediately add the chocolate chips and cocoa. Whisk until smooth.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt to form a slightly thick mixture. Add the tahini and whisk to combine. Now fold in the flour, stir until just incorporated (do not over-stir). Reserve half of the tahini mixture in a separate bowl for later. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the remaining tahini mixture, stir until batter is well combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan you prepared. Spread evenly.
- With a spoon, dollop the reserved tahini mixture over the top (imagine a grid, and add one dollop of tahini mixture to each square on that grid). With the tip of a butter or pairing knife, swril the tahini dollops into the brownie batter.
- Place the pan on the middle rack of the 350 degrees F heated-oven. Bake for 28-30 minutes, until the edges are set but the center remain moist. Remove from the oven. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Lift the foil edges up carefully to transfer the brownies from the pan. Cool for another 30 minutes (do not remove from the foil yet). Cut into 2-inch squares. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Recipe slightly adapted from Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Magazine (March-April 2017 issue).
- You need to fully bake these brownies, they are very tender (even wet) if you don’t bake them through.
- Make these brownies the night before, if you like. The tahini flavor will intensify!
- Visit our Shop to browse the best tahini and other Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and spices.
Brownies are fantastic. I have taken them to parties and shared the recipe a dozen times.
However, the 1x, 2x, 3x instructions are not correct for pan sizes. All three options show 8×8 pan. That’s certainly incorrect. I’ve used 11×13 for a double batch. Cooking time is variable.
Hi, Mary. Apologies for the confusion. Yes, when you hit the 2x and 3x buttons, it only tells you how much to increase the ingredients in the ingredients list. It doesn’t give adjusted pan sizes.
Basically the only brownies I make now. Only complaint is I wish there was a metric conversion.
These are absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Just really would love to know how they’d turn out with almond flour? Anyone tried this please?
Hi, Laura. We’ve tried this with a 1:1 gluten free flour before, and they turned out great! I know almond flour is a bit different, but it may be worth experimenting!
Thank you! I tried this with almond flour and swapped out the sugar with some agave syrup and maple syrup and it still worked brilliantly. I did need to cook it for a bit longer as a result but still delicious. Thanks again!
I really liked this recipe. Quick and easy. I will do less than half of the tahini mixture for feathering in the future since half proved to be too much, and they bled together.
I’ve been looking for a tahini brownie recipe since trying some at a bakery in London, and this is the closest recipe I could find… so delicious! The salty tahini flavour is strong, especially at room temp.
Amazing. So delicious. I even used gluten free flour. They were amazing. The tahini adds such a nice flavor. Will be making again and again.
Thanks, Rose!
Really yummy!!! Simple recipe and amazing texture.
These are hands down the best brownies I’ve ever made. I added a half cup of toasted walnuts. Just amazing.
These are FABULOUS!! Made them with King Arthur’s Gluten Free 1 to 1 flour and a dairy free butter. Will be making again!
These turned out great. So good. I was wondering about how to store them though. Do they need to be stored in the frig or can they be stored in a Tupperware at room temp.
Hi, Catherine. Either way will work here.
Dear Suzy, love all your recipes. It would be great if you could have the option to convert your recipes to metric measures . Nigella Lawson’s website allows for this and it makes life so much easier. I’ve cooked loads of your recipes and l think they suit the Australian lifestyle so well. These brownies are so delicious
Cheers
Silvie
Hi, Silvie. Thanks for the feedback! It is something we are working towards. It’s just been a challenge to find the right tool for all the recipes on the website. Hopefully soon!
Is there any reason this couldn’t be made with EVOO instead of butter? If EVOO would be okay which one of your EVOOs do you recommend?
Hi, Rowen. Another reader has given this a try and it seemed to work. It’s just not something we’ve specifically tested for. I think if you’re going to give it a go, I’d choose a mild-tasting EVOO, like our Nocellara-Italian EVOO.
Since Anna made it without flower, I suppose I can make it with Almond flour also, right?
Looks/ sounds delicious!
Annemarie
I just made these brownies and realized that I forgot the flour! Turned out great anyway. I’ll have to make them again with all the ingredients.
Oh, wow! That’s amazing that they still turned out!!