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Impossibly chewy cookies studded with crumbled sesame halva and dark chocolate chunks, their nutty depth coming from tahini in the dough itself. A bridge between the bazaars of the Levant and the American cookie jar.
The first time I encountered halva was in a tiny shop in Istanbul, where an old man carved slices from wheels the size of car tires. The confection shattered on my tongue, releasing that deep, almost smoky sesame flavor that haunts you for days. I knew immediately it belonged in an American cookie.
This recipe represents the best kind of culinary borrowing. We take the chewy, brown-butter soul of a great American cookie and marry it to tahini, that ancient paste of ground sesame seeds that has nourished people across the Middle East for millennia. The halva goes in as chunks that soften in the oven, creating pockets of crumbly sweetness throughout. Dark chocolate provides the bitter counterpoint that makes the whole thing sing.
These cookies arrived at my holiday table three years ago and haven't left since. They're unexpected on a cookie tray dominated by sugar cookies and gingerbread, which is exactly why people reach for them first. The sesame aroma rising from a fresh batch will have your guests asking questions before they've taken a bite.
For those unfamiliar with halva, you'll find it in Middle Eastern groceries, health food stores, and increasingly in regular supermarkets. Look for plain sesame halva without pistachios or chocolate. The vanilla-scented versions work beautifully here.
Quantity
1 cup (227g)
Quantity
2 cups (250g)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
Quantity
1 teaspoon
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
3/4 cup (150g)
Quantity
3/4 cup (165g)
packed
Quantity
1/2 cup (120g)
well-stirred
Quantity
2
room temperature
Quantity
2 teaspoons
Quantity
6 ounces (170g)
crumbled into 1/2-inch pieces
Quantity
6 ounces (170g)
roughly chopped into chunks
Quantity
2 tablespoons
for topping
Quantity
for finishing
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| unsalted butter | 1 cup (227g) |
| all-purpose flour | 2 cups (250g) |
| baking soda | 1 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | 1 teaspoon |
| ground cinnamon | 1/2 teaspoon |
| granulated sugar | 3/4 cup (150g) |
| light brown sugarpacked | 3/4 cup (165g) |
| tahiniwell-stirred | 1/2 cup (120g) |
| large eggsroom temperature | 2 |
| vanilla extract | 2 teaspoons |
| sesame halvacrumbled into 1/2-inch pieces | 6 ounces (170g) |
| dark chocolateroughly chopped into chunks | 6 ounces (170g) |
| sesame seedsfor topping | 2 tablespoons |
| flaky sea salt (optional) | for finishing |
Cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and place in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. The light color matters because you need to see the butter change. Swirl occasionally as it melts, foams, and then begins to smell like toasting nuts. Watch the milk solids at the bottom transform from white to golden to deep amber. This takes 5 to 7 minutes. The moment you see brown flecks and smell that nutty fragrance, pour immediately into a heatproof bowl. The residual heat of the pan will push it toward burnt if you wait.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, fine sea salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set this aside. The cinnamon is subtle here, just enough to add warmth without announcing itself. It bridges the Middle Eastern flavors with the American cookie tradition.
Add both sugars to the warm brown butter and whisk vigorously until combined. The mixture will look grainy and slightly separated. Whisk in the tahini until smooth. The dough will become glossy and cohesive. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each, then the vanilla. The final mixture should be thick, shiny, and smell intensely of toasted sesame.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. A few flour streaks remaining is fine. Add the crumbled halva and chocolate chunks, folding gently to distribute without pulverizing the halva. It should remain in distinct pieces that will create pockets of sweetness in the finished cookie.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days. This rest is not optional. The flour hydrates, the flavors meld, and the dough firms enough to hold its shape in the oven. Warm dough spreads too thin and bakes up greasy. Cold dough bakes up thick and chewy.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions, rolling each into a rough ball. Space them 3 inches apart to allow for spreading. Press a few sesame seeds onto the top of each ball, then add 2 or 3 extra chunks of halva and chocolate to the surface where they'll be visible after baking. These are the beauty marks that make people reach for your cookies first.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The cookies are done when the edges turn golden brown but the centers still look slightly underdone and puffy. They'll appear almost raw in the middle. Trust this. They continue cooking on the hot pan after you remove them from the oven. Overbaking is the enemy of chewiness.
Remove the pan from the oven and immediately sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of flaky sea salt. The salt crystals will stick to the warm surface and provide bursts of salinity that cut through the sweetness. Let the cookies rest on the pan for 5 minutes. They'll deflate slightly and firm up enough to transfer. Move them to a wire rack to cool completely, though I won't blame you for eating one warm.
1 cookie (about 43g)
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