Saturday 5 November 2016

Chocolate and black tahini cut out biscuits

Black tahini is one of those mysterious ingredients I have seen online recently.  As soon as I saw a jar in the health food store I knew it would be the thing for some Halloween treats.  A recipe for tahini sandwich cookies morphed easily into a dark chocolate  and black tahini biscuits (as we call cookies in Australia).

Opening a jar of it and peering into the inky black depths reminded me of that little patch of tar that melted in the road in my childhood summers.  I loved that piece of tar.  Sometimes I dipped my finger in.  Like I did with the jar of black tahini.  I smelled it and wondered how different it tasted to the usual beige tahini.  Then I watched with pleasure as it drizzled into a measuring cup.

Sylvia had procured a set of Halloween cookie cutters.  I had been looking out for a cut out biscuit recipe and this tahini one seemed to fit that bill.  I really liked that idea of adding the black tahin.  Chocolate never gets that black! And chocolate and tahini are such a yummy combination.  We had great fun decorating these biscuits with icing, edible eyes and marshmallows.  I had initially intended to ice them with coloured icing but in the end we kept it simple.

The bikkies were made on the afternoon on 31 October.  Sylvia had been keen to go trick or treating with a friend for Halloween.  I said no.  Instead we made biscuits and then went to the Halloween activities at the gorgeous Little Bookroom bookshop in North Carlton.  I loved how they made an enchanted dark Halloween cave with fairy lights, glowsticks, and some skulls. There was a few lollies and lots of fun costumes to check out.  Enough for Sylvia to feel she had some trick or treat experience and little enough for me to protest.

We served the biscuits at lunch the next day.  I really really loved them.  They were not too sweet with a hint of salt.  The texture was surprisingly crisp and the flavour was lovely.  They went down very well with the adults.  Sylvia had great fun decorating them but told me they tasted too much of tahini.  That's ok.  I didn't want to share them with her anyway!  I can't wait to make them again.

I am sending these bikkies to Treat Petite at Cakeyboi.

More chocolate and tahini recipes on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Cashew choc chip cookies (gf, v)
Chocolate macaroons (gf) 
Chocolate tahini cookies (v)
Chocolate sesame cookies (v)
Chocolate tahini maca bliss balls (gf, v)

Chocolate and black tahini cut out biscuits
Adapted from Tasting Table
Makes about 2-3 dozen

140g margarine
3/4 cup black tahini
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons flaked salt
1/4 cup cocoa
2/3 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 cup white flour

Beat together margarine, tahini, sugar and salt until creamy.  Beat in cocoa and then gently mix in flours to make a clumpy mixture.

Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to make a ball of dough.  Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 3/4 cm thick.

Cut out biscuits with your favourite cookie cutters or a small glass.  Place on 2 or 3 lined trays.  Bake at 180 C for 18-20 minutes.  Cool on a wire tray.

NOTES: I am sure these would work well with regular light tahini.  The Tasting Table recipe said to beat the tahini mixture with electric beaters but I just beat it by hand.  That recipe also said to wrap and refridgerate the dough for 30 minutes before rolling out.  I didn't have time so I did not do this and it rolled out fine.  To decorate, we use a purchased bag of icing that came with piping tips.  We kept our bikkies in an airtight container for 5 days and they were still good.

On the Stereo: 
Cafe de Paris: 40 essential recordings evoking the charm of Paris' cafes and boulevards: Various Artists

This post is part of the Vegan Month of Food (Vegan MoFo) in November 2016.  Go to my Vegan MoFo list for more of my 2016 Vegan MoFo posts. 

Week 1 is Treat Yourself.

23 comments:

  1. Black tahini is a new one for me, but definitely something I need to look into! I love the decorations on the biscuits, so cute.

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    1. Thanks HH - Black tahini has fascinated me for a few years and it is good to finally bake with it - I have also seen some recipes for cakes that I would love to try

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  2. Ah these are so cute, so good you managed to distract Sylvia from protesting to go out trick and treating. I like how dark these are, darker than gingerbread cookies. You may remember that I made some Sweet Black Sesame Seed Butter http://allotment2kitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/sweet-black-sesame-seed-butter.html so i think i could have a go at making out cut out cookies at home one day.

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    1. Thanks Shaheen - I do remember your black sesame paste and would love to try making it - have you tried baking with it - I would love to try a few of my regular tahini recipes with the black tahini

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    2. I did make some flapjacks with ithttp://allotment2kitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/black-tahini-sesame-seed-butter.html
      But nothing ambitious like yours, maybe next time now that I can the real transformation it can make, thanks for inspiring as always

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    3. I'd highly recommend mixing the black tahini with chocolate - it is a fave combination for me

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  3. These are so cute and the black tahini is so effective.

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  4. Oh, how perfect for Halloween! And all the better that they actually taste great, I would definitely enjoy this flavour combination.

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    1. Thanks Cindy - I really love the taste of tahini in biscuits - though I think it might be an acquired taste - but I suspect you would love it too

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  5. these are just right for Halloween! And it's reminded me to hurry up and get some black tahini as it's been on my wishlist for a while!

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    1. Thanks Faye - I was pleased to get the dark colour for Halloween and use the cookie cutters. I have wondered about if there are savoury recipes I could make with the tahini

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  6. Wow the biscuits turned out really dark. I must use it for next Halloween! :D

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    1. Thanks Lorraine - yes I am sure you would find some good use for black tahini in Halloween - would you feel brave enough to try it in a hummus? I am not sure I would

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  7. I haven't heard of black tahini yet, but it sounds intriguing. These look like a lot of fun.

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    1. Thanks VegHog - I guess it is made out of black sesame seeds - there is always something new in the blogosphere :-)

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  8. I have had black tahini once and loved it, but somehow then forgot all about it. Thanks for the reminder and inspiration to seek another jar out! I love dipping my finger (or a spoon) in it too but I'd have to try and reserve some for these biscuits.

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    1. Thanks Kari - I highly recommend these bikkies - not too sweet and if I hadn't accidentally got regular white sugar rather than castor sugar (and needed to use it so I could get back into just white castor sugar) I would probably try another sugar in these.

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  9. I've never come across black tahini. Sounds really interesting! And the biscuits are so so cute! The tahini clearly worked amazingly well xx

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    1. Thanks Kate - yes I was really impressed with the tahini in the bikkies

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  10. "And chocolate and tahini are such a yummy combination."
    This is a combination I have never tried - I'm very intrigued. And the black tahini is quite pretty looking. These are great Johanna!

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    1. Thanks Kimmy - I would highly recommend the chocolate tahini combo!!! It is a classic. I think I might have first come across it in chocolate halva which is so moreish

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  11. Eerily dark cookies - perfect for Halloween. Thanks for entering these into Treat Petite

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