Baked Halva Cookies

Serves:

Prep Time:

15 minutes

Cook Time:

15 minutes

Jump To Recipe

Desserts

Baked Halva Cookies

I always manage to sneak tahini in somewhere! In Middle Eastern cultures (one of my favourite cuisines along with Italian), a common dessert is known as halva. It’s a dense and fudgy-like dessert made from sesame and sugar and it is oh-so-delicious. The bitterness of tahini is perfectly paired with sweetness for a fab final flavour. These cookies, despite having nothing to do with halva in methodology, resemble that sweet but bitter and nutty tahini goodness.

Baked Halva Cookies

These cookies, despite having nothing to do with halva in methodology, resemble that sweet but bitter and nutty tahini goodness.

Print It Pin It

Serves:

Prep time:

15 minutes

Cook time:

15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

½ cup tahini
½ cup cashew butter
1 tsp pure monk fruit powder OR 2-3 tbsp erythritol based sweetener*
1 egg

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
In a large bowl and using a wooden spoon, combine tahini, cashew butter, monk fruit and egg. You may wish to use your hands if it is not combining properly.
Using your hands, carefully shape into 16 cookies and place on the prepared tray. Use a fork to imprint the cookie if desired.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Leave to cool completely.
To serve, top with your favourite toppings or enjoy as is! Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that forms the base of many granular “sugar free sweeteners”.
Pure monk fruit powder is another sugar-free option, not to be confused with “monk fruit sweetener”. These ingredients are used in very different ways in recipes.
The use of erythritol and pure monk fruit powder in this recipe is what makes it low-carb and/or keto friendly. If this is not a worry for you, the best substitution is coconut sugar which can be used in the same quantity as erythritol based sweetener. Please know that the use of coconut sugar takes away the sugar-free status of this recipe and may alter the colour of the finished product.
Read more about these sweeteners here, including my product recommendations. If you are unsure what to use, read more about sugar and my philosophy here.
The toppings are totally optional and these cookies are just as good on their own, but if you’re feeling fancy I love adding a drizzle of melted chocolate, chopped pistachios and rose petals to really transport me to those Middle Eastern vibes. These cookies are best consumed within three days.
You can also use 1-2 tbsp of honey or maple syrup in place of monk fruit.