Halvah Shortbread
Submitted by suzeq
Halvah shortbread made with tahini and butter creamed together with brown sugar and cake flour, studded with toasted pecans and cut into wedges.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
30 minA Middle Eastern twist on classic shortbread. Tahini gets creamed right in with the butter, giving these wedges a rich sesame flavor that’s unmistakably halvah-like without the crumbly, dry texture of actual halvah. The sesame paste adds a savory undertone that balances the brown sugar sweetness.
Cake flour is the right call here. Its lower protein content keeps the shortbread tender and sandy rather than tough. The dough will feel very stiff once the flour and chopped pecans are mixed in, but that’s exactly what you want. Press it firmly and evenly into the pie plates, no thicker than a quarter inch.
Watch the oven closely after 15 minutes. Tahini browns fast, and the line between golden edges and burnt shortbread is thin. Check every couple of minutes once you hit that mark.
Cut the wedges while the shortbread is still warm. This is critical. The tahini makes the cooled shortbread brittle, and waiting means crumbled pieces instead of clean wedges.
Pro Tips
- Stir the tahini well before measuring. The oil separates in the jar, and you need a smooth, homogeneous paste for even flavor.
- Toast the nuts before chopping. The oven time is too short to toast raw nuts in the shortbread itself.
- Press the dough evenly. Thin spots overbake while thick spots stay underdone.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature. The tahini keeps these moist for 3 to 4 days.
Variations
- Cardamom halvah: Add ½ teaspoon ground cardamom to the dough for a warm, floral note traditional in many halvah recipes.
- Chocolate drizzle: Drizzle melted dark chocolate over the cooled wedges. Sesame and chocolate are a proven combination.
- Pistachio version: Swap the pecans for chopped pistachios and press whole pistachios into the top for a greener, more traditionally Middle Eastern look.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃).
With a food processor or by hand, cream the butter with the tahini.
Add the salt and brown sugar. Blend until smooth.
Sprinkle in the flour, blending well.
Mix in the chopped nuts. The dough will be very stiff.
Lightly butter two 7-inch pie plates or shallow baking pans.
Press the dough to evenly cover the bottom and sides of the pie plates to a thickness of no more than ¼ inch.
Press a few whole nuts into the surface to decorate.
Bake the shortbread for 15 mniutes and then check it frequently, every couple of minutes, and remove it from the oven as soon as the edges are golden brown.
Be careful not to overbake it.
While it’s still warm, cut each shortbread into 8 or 10 wedges in the pan; don’t wait until it’s cool or it will crumble.
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