Known as white gold in Middle Eastern cuisine, tahini's creamy texture , high un-saturated fat content and nutty taste can be used to enhance all manner of vegan recipes. Blended beans and tahini give a wonderful texture to these indulgent chocolate brownies and it’s a great way to introduce plant protein and calcium to kids!
200 g/1½ cups finely chopped dark/bittersweet chocolate 70% cocoa
300 g/2 cups canned (drained and rinsed) unsalted chickpeas or haricot/navy beans
60 ml/¼ cup virgin coconut oil, melted
240 ml/1 cup brown rice or pure maple syrup
Grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
130 g/½ cup tahini
80 g/⅔ cup unbleached plain/all-purpose flour
40 g/⅓ cup plain all-purpose wholemeal/whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground Ceylon cinnamon
4 tablespoons unhulled sesame seeds, for sprinkling
2 tablespoons melted chocolate, for serving
23 x 30-cm/9 x 12-inch baking pan, oiled
Makes about 20
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the base of the bowl does not touch the water.
Put the melted chocolate, chickpeas or haricot/navy beans, melted coconut oil, syrup, lemon zest and juice and tahini in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Mix the fl ours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together in a mixing bowl. Add the bean mixture and fold in with a spatula until smooth.
Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Do not overbake – they are supposed to be a little gooey! Allow to cool completely in the baking pan. Cut into squares to serve drizzled with melted chocolate. Alternatively, I like to serve them with a little homemade apricot jam/preserves which contrasts beautifully with the rich, heavy chocolate of these brownies.
For more plant-based recipes featuring protein-rich tahini, check out Dunja Gulin’s The Magic of Tahini. To get more great blog posts like this one - direct to your inbox – be sure to sign up to our mailing list here!