Chocolate Tahini Brownies

Name: Chocolate Tahini Brownies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup salted butter (* melted); 2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate (* chopped finely); 1 cup granulated white sugar; 2 eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup cocoa powder ((Dutch-processed is best)); 1/8 teaspoon sea salt; 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips; 1/2 cup tahini (* (sesame seed paste)); 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt

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These Chocolate Tahini Brownies are decadent and fudgy with a swirl of maple vanilla tahini throughout and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top!

Chocolate brownies with a swirl of tahini on top.

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These brownies combine two of my favorite things: gooey, rich chocolate brownies and TAHINI! I adore tahini. That's even a bit of an understatement. My adoration of tahini is pretty strong. I love it by itself, on toast with a little maple syrup, in banana ice cream (the best!!), stuffed in a date, in salad dressings, or on a spoon with a few chocolate chips. It's just SO good! My love of tahini and that roasted sesame flavor probably came from eating halva as a child.

The brownie itself has a very deep chocolate flavor thanks to melted unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder in the batter and chocolate chips folded in! The soft and fudge-like texture is irresistible, just like my recipes for Flourless Pecan Brownies, Cookies and Cream Brownies, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies!

Tahini and chocolate are really an incredible combination! I added just a bit of maple syrup and a touch of vanilla to the tahini for a slight sweetness and flavor enhancement in this recipe.

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⭐️ Why You're Going to LOVE This Recipe
🧈 Ingredients
📃 Instructions
❓ Recipe FAQs
🍫 More Chocolate Recipes
📖 Recipe

⭐️ Why You're Going to LOVE This Recipe

Texture - Be sure not to overbake the brownies for a perfectly soft and tender interior texture! Use an instant-read cooking thermometer and take the brownies out when the interior temperature reaches 190℉.
Flavor - The light but earthy depth of sesame flavor from the tahini and a kiss of maple syrup and vanilla pair so well with the deep chocolate flavor.
Method - Homemade brownies are so easy and quick to make and so worth the effort!

🧈 Ingredients

Here are the ingredients needed to make these swirled chocolate tahini brownies.

Ingredient Notes

Butter - The beginning of so many good things: butter! Nothing fancy is required for this recipe when it comes to the type of butter to use. I always use salted butter that I buy at Costco!
Chocolate - These brownies get their deep and decadent chocolate flavor from unsweetened chocolate melted into the batter, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, and semisweet chocolate chips folded in. Unsweetened chocolate is made with cocoa powder and cocoa butter without any kind of sweetener and has a very deep, bitter chocolate flavor. Using it in this recipe helps to control the level of sweetness while still having a strong chocolate flavor.
Tahini - The star of the show! Tahini is a paste made of roasted sesame seeds. It is often added to hummus. Its earthy and nutty flavor balances the sweetness of the brownie so well. The tahini I used to develop this recipe was made from 100% sesame seeds. Avoid tahini with added ingredients.
Maple Syrup - Just a little maple syrup to slightly sweeten the tahini.
Flakey Sea Salt - Maldon brand sea salt flakes are so pretty and a little sprinkle takes these brownies to the next level!

See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.

📃 Instructions

Eggs and sugar added to melted chocolate and butter mixture.

Step 1: Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together in 30-second increments in the microwave. Whisk until smooth before adding the white sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Whisked wet ingredients in a glass bowl.

Step 2: Whisk well for about 2 minutes until the mixture is very smooth.

Step 3: Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and whisk until incorporated.

Chocolate chips added to brownie batter.

Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chips.

Brownie batter spread into a metal pan lined with parchment paper.

Step 5: Spread most of the batter evenly into a prepared pan, reserving ¼ cup of batter for later.

Tahini mixture combined in a glass measuring cup.

Step 6: Stir together the tahini, maple syrup, and vanilla until combined.

Tahini mixture spread on top of brownie batter in the pan with blobs of remaining batter on top.

Step 7: Spread the tahini mixture evenly on top of the brownie batter in the pan. Drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter randomly on top.

Brownie batter swirled into tahini mixture.

Step 8: Use a toothpick to gently swirl the batter into the tahini mixture, being careful not to overmix.

Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 190℉ (measure using a kitchen thermometer). Let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing to serve. Sprinkle with as much flaky sea salt as you would like, if desired.

❓ Recipe FAQs

What is tahini?

Tahini is a paste made from roasted sesame seeds that have been finely ground into a smooth paste. It has a light but nutty flavor with earthy tones.

Can I make this recipe gluten-free?

While I have not personally tested this recipe with gluten-free ingredients, I think it could easily be made by replacing the all-purpose flour with you favorite gluten-free cup-for-cup flour blend.

How do you store these brownies?

Store fully cooled brownies covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Chocolate tahini brownie with bite taken out of it.

🍫 More Chocolate Recipes

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

If you tried these Tahini Chocolate Brownies or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!