Salted Halvah Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our daughter, Hilary, gave us a mid-eastern cook book for Christmas. This recipe was in that book and, with the unusual ingredients of tahini and halvah, we just had to make them. Our grandson, Hunter flattened them out with the bottom of a glass and our granddaughter, Pippa pressed the halvah into the tops of the cookies. They came out very tasty, kind of like peanut butter cookies but different.

Recipe By:

Eating  Out  Loud

Yield:

12

Ingredients:

1⅓  cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup salted butter, at room temperature
⅓  cup tahini paste
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups bittersweet chocolate chips
½ cup small chunks of halvah, (see Note)
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix together the butter, tahini, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and airy, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.

4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium. Add half the flour mixture, and mix to combine. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix to combine, scraping down the sides with a spatula, if necessary.

5. Use a spoon or spatula to fold in the chocolate chips.

6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least hour or overnight. (You can actually do this up to a week in advance!)

7. Heat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

8. Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scooper, form dough into balls. Place the cough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Push down a little on each ball to flatten it slightly. Place a couple little pieces of halvah on top of each cookie and gently press them into the dough. Sprinkle with the sea salt.

9. Bake until the cookies are lightly golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the pan before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes:

The author says that if you can’t find halvah, you can mix together 2 tablespoons of tahini with 2 tablespoons of honey. After you’ve flattened the cookies on the baking sheet, press small dents into each cookie and spread about a teaspoon of the mixture on each cookie. Finish with the sea salt. I can’t say how this would turn out but the melted halvah was the best part of the cookie, in my opinion. It was easy to get both the tahini and halvah on line: