Is it just me or has this been the longest week of all time? I honestly thought Friday might never come. And on weeks like that, you know what you need? A brownie. Nay, brownies…many of them. Specifically Halva Brownies AKA thick fudgy brownies, swirled with ribbons of halva. And if you’re like, but what is halva…don’t worry. Read on.
What is Halva?
Ugh, guys.
For those of you who have never had halva, it’s SO GOOD. Halva is a Middle Eastern candy made from sesame paste mixed with hot sugar. It has a nutty vanilla taste, a unique creamy, yet crumbly texture, and generally comes packed in a one pound block that you can cut off nibbles of. You guys know how obsessed with tahini I am, and halva essentially tastes like sweetened tahini. A win in my book.
And we just discovered that not only is halva delicious on it’s own, it is UNREAL in brownies. The fudgy, super chocolatey richness of the brownies is perfectly complemented by the sweet, sesame flavor of the halva. Match made in heaven.
We had a big block of halva in the cupboard that was going to expire, and there’s nothing I hate more than wasting food. Particularly, fancy Middle Eastern candy that’s hard to come by. So Sofi and I put our heads together and thought about what we could make with this nutty, sesame confection. We cut ourselves big chunks and devoured our candy as a “brainstorming session,” before landing on these halva swirled brownies.
Remember those amazing brownies we posted about a little while ago? As in the best brownies ever. Like EVER. Well we’ve made them like 3 times in the past two weeks, but we knew we had to make them again. Only this time with a halva swirl.
I mean the texture of these brownies is seriously unreal. I believe we eat with our eyes, and baby I am FEASTING on these brownies.
How to Bake with Halva?
While I do deeply enjoy eating halva as is, if you have a large quantity on your hands it’s incredibly fun to bake with! It would be so tasty cut into chunks and folded into cookie dough, swirled through quick breads, or in a homemade candy bar. This is our first time baking with it, but we’ll keep you in the loop next time we make something with it! I’m seeing visions of vanilla halva cinnamon rolls. Anyone else into that?
It’s Friyay…go ahead halva a brownie. HAHA sorry that was very corny. But the pun was right there.
Still make these halva brownies. You won’t regret it.
Introducing Halva Brownies AKA thick fudgy brownies swirled with ribbons of halva, my favorite middle eastern confection. Think tahini brownies, but better!
Introducing Halva Brownies AKA thick fudgy brownies swirled with ribbons of halva, my favorite middle eastern confection. Think tahini brownies, but better!
Preheat oven Make the Best Brownies Ever as directed. Pour the batter into your prepared 9 x 9 pan and set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt down the halva and the water until runny and combined. The halva mixture should be similar in thickness to how the brownie mixture was. If you need to add more tablespoon of water–do it! You want to be able to easily swirl the halva.
Drop large globs on top of the brownies and take a butter knife to make big swirls of brownie batter and halva. Don’t over mix! You want some marbling, but distinct layers of halva and brownie. Place the brownies into the preheated oven and bake 40-50 minutes. This will totally depend on your oven, so check the brownies at 40 minutes for doneness. you’ll know they’re done with the edges are firm to the touch and a knife inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. Remember the brownies will continue to bake once they are out, so it’s okay if they’re gooey in the middle!
Allow to cool before serving. Option to sprinkle with sesame seeds for an added crunch!
Ooo! I am excited to try this. I have never mixed halva with water in baking, I always just crumble and add in. I like to swirl tahini in as well and then tip with halva, curious about the texture of this halva water technique.
Wow! Delish — super-rich and chocolatey!!! Maybe it was the brand of halvah I used, because even though I thought I was careful not to overmix to preserve the marbling (I make marbled cakes a lot) it seemed to melt in as it baked and wasn’t as discrete as I’d hoped. But it was still super-tasty even though it didn’t look as pretty as I’d hoped. YUM!!!
So yummy. Although halva has a very different meaning in Indian cuisine – its whole wheat flour, sugar and ghee – I was so excited to learn its definition in the middle east. What a great take on brownies.
I would like to make your brownie recipe but would like to use AP Flour instead of whole wheat. Can you tell me how to adjust the quantity using AP flour? I know Whole Wheat flour is heavier and sucks up more liquid so don’t want to attempt making these delicious brownies without knowing how to adjust.
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Ooo! I am excited to try this. I have never mixed halva with water in baking, I always just crumble and add in. I like to swirl tahini in as well and then tip with halva, curious about the texture of this halva water technique.
Wow! Delish — super-rich and chocolatey!!! Maybe it was the brand of halvah I used, because even though I thought I was careful not to overmix to preserve the marbling (I make marbled cakes a lot) it seemed to melt in as it baked and wasn’t as discrete as I’d hoped. But it was still super-tasty even though it didn’t look as pretty as I’d hoped. YUM!!!
So yummy. Although halva has a very different meaning in Indian cuisine – its whole wheat flour, sugar and ghee – I was so excited to learn its definition in the middle east. What a great take on brownies.
I would like to make your brownie recipe but would like to use AP Flour instead of whole wheat. Can you tell me how to adjust the quantity using AP flour? I know Whole Wheat flour is heavier and sucks up more liquid so don’t want to attempt making these delicious brownies without knowing how to adjust.
Many thanks
Pam
Hey Pam! Great question! I actually just recipe tested with AP instead of whole wheat and found that 3/4 cup AP worked perfectly. Hope this helps 🙂