Cookies

November 29, 2021

Salted Browned Butter Dark Chocolate Tahini Bars

These Salted Browned Butter Dark Chocolate Tahini Bars are easy, yet impressive. The perfect quick and simple cookie when you need to bring a last-minute dessert or want to gift someone a homemade treat. 

And, these cookies kick of the second annual Joyful Plateful holiday soup and cookie series! It’s the time of year when many of us are looking for cookie recipes to share, and easy, warming meals like soups. I’ve got you covered, with three new cookie recipes and three new soup recipes coming your way over the next few weeks.

Back to these Salted Browned Butter Dark Chocolate Tahini Bars. Adding browned butter to cookies was something I discovered about two years ago (much too late in life, I might add). Browned butter elevates basic chocolate chip cookies to sophistication, and adds a depth of flavor that is just heavenly. There are lots of incredible variations out there, and these are my contribution to the collection. 

These are an easy and small batch cookie, a nice way to start the holiday baking season. If you’re not quite ready for large-scale holiday baking production, but need something to bring to a party or a neighbor, Salted Browned Butter Dark Chocolate Tahini Bars are a good place to begin. 

Ingredients assembled for Salted Browned Butter Dark Chocolate Tahini Bars
Assemble your ingredients.

Butter browning in a skillet on the stove, then being used to grease the baking dish
Start by browning the butter. Use a pastry brush and some of the browned butter to grease the baking dish.

Cookie dough mixed in a large mixing bowl
Once the browned butter has cooled a bit, combine all the dough ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined.

Cookie dough spread in a square glass baking dish and sprinkled with sesame seeds
Spread the dough evenly in a square baking dish and top with sesame seeds before baking.

Salted Browned Butter Dark Chocolate Tahini Bars cut into squares in the pan and three placed on a pale yellow plate for serving
Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, sprinkle the top evenly with flaky salt.

Salted Browned Butter Dark Chocolate Tahini Bars cut into squares and piled on a pale yellow plate
Allow the cookies to cool completely before cutting into squares and serving (or storing).

Salted Browned Butter Dark Chocolate Tahini Bars

These Salted Browned Butter Dark Chocolate Tahini Bars are easy, yet impressive. The perfect quick and simple cookie when you need to bring a last-minute dessert or want to gift someone a homemade treat.

Author:

Kira Freed - The Joyful Plateful

Prep:

15

min

cook:

30

min

total:

45

min

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup tahini

1 large egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

1 tsp. sesame seeds

Generous pinch of flaky sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
  2. Place the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. As the butter melts, it will begin to sizzle and pop. Allow the butter to cook and brown until the popping subsides. Do not stir! If you see brown bits in the pan and smell a nutty aroma, your butter is done. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. 
  3. Use a pastry brush to brush the bottom and sides of an 8x8-inch baking dish with the browned butter to grease the dish. 
  4. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt. Add remaining wet ingredients: browned butter, brown sugar, tahini, egg, vanilla. Stir together until combined. Add chocolate chips, and stir until evenly distributed. 
  5. Spread the batter in the prepare baking dish into an even layer. Sprinkle the 1 tsp. sesame seeds evenly over the top. 
  6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 28-33 minutes, until brown around the edges and set in the center. 
  7. Immediately after removing from the oven, sprinkle the top of the bars with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt. 
  8. All the bars to cool completely before cutting and serving. 
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March 19, 2024
Hannah
Sounds sooooo yummy. I will definitely prepare this