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.