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black sesame

Grain-Free Tahini Swirl Brownies

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If you haven’t jumped on the tahini + chocolate bandwagon yet, then this is the recipe for you! But also, if you love tahini desserts then this is also the recipe for you. These brownies are ultra fudgy with just the right amount of melted chocolate, cocoa powder, and tahini. All topped with a beautiful tahini swirl! I mean, look at it.

When I set out to make these brownies, I wanted to come up with a totally fudgy, not-too-rich brownie that was free of grains, dairy, and oil. And then, of course, I sweetened them with coconut sugar (along with the chocolate chips) to make these indulgent babies a little bit better for you.

The method that I like best when baking brownies is to use melted chocolate with an oil (in this case, the tahini) and some cocoa powder, and then whisk the eggs and sugar until they’re nice and fluffy. The whisking is what gives these brownies a bit of lift, and all the wet ingredients help them stay totally fudgy.

For this recipe, I took my love for sesame a bit further than your typical tahini brownie by adding a bit of toasted black sesame powder. I highly recommend you make your way to the nearest Asian market, buy a big (and cheap!) bag of black sesame seeds, and spend 10 minutes making the powder. It’s affordable, easy, and adds another element of nuttiness to these brownies. And if you haven’t toasted black sesame seeds before, then you’re in for a treat, because the smell is divine.

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Chocolate chips add a ton of moisture, flavor, and sweetness to these brownies. In my experience, with this specific recipe, they also lend a hand to the shiny top crust of the brownies.

Tahini is simply ground sesame seeds – think “peanut butter” but with sesame seeds instead of peanuts. It’s delicious in savory dishes and desserts. I especially love how it pairs with chocolate, and anyone who has ever tasted a tahini dessert from me has loved it!

Dutch-process cocoa powder has a deeper chocolate flavor than natural cocoa powder. I like to use Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa because it’s affordable and easy to find. They recently switched from a 50/50 dutched/natural mix to all dutch-process for their Special Dark Cocoa, so check your labels.

Coconut sugar is an unrefined, low GI sweetener. It doesn’t taste like coconut, and since it’s low GI, it doesn’t spike blood sugar as high as white sugar, honey, or maple syrup would.

Arrowroot starch is a corn allergy-friendly thickener, but if you don’t have this on hand, feel free to use corn starch.

Toasted black sesame powder is simply toasted black sesame seeds that have been ground up in a blender or food processor. It’s aromatic and nutty and elevates the delicious sesame flavor in these brownies.

Yield: 16 brownies

Grain-Free Tahini Swirl Brownies

Grain-Free Tahini Swirl Brownies

Ultra fudgy brownies made grain-free, dairy-free, and oil-free! These brownies are loaded with chocolate and tahini and topped with a beautiful tahini swirl!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Brownies

Tahini Swirl

Instructions

  1. Make your toasted black sesame powder by toasting ½ cup of black sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat (I highly recommend getting these at your local Asian market/grocery store to save money!) . Stir constantly until seeds are toasted - you'll begin to smell a very aromatic nutty scent. Add the toasted seeds to a blender or food processor and blend until a powder forms.
  2. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 325°F. Prepare your baking dish by spraying it with olive oil and then lining the bottom + 2 sides with a long strip of parchment paper. Crease the excess parchment paper over the sides.
  3. Using the double boiler method (place heatproof bowl over a pot with 1" of water on medium heat, making sure bowl doesn't touch the water), melt the chocolate chips and tahini in a medium bowl until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder; set aside.
  4. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the coconut sugar and eggs. Begin whisking on medium-high speed and add the vanilla extract. Continue whisking until the mixture becomes thick and light brown in color. It will look very bubbly.
  5. Add the chocolate mixture to the whisked eggs and sugar. Gently fold the chocolate in - this will take a few minutes. Then fold in the arrowroot starch, black sesame powder, and salt until totally combined. The batter will be thick.
  6. Scrape batter into your prepared baking dish and use a spatula to smooth out the top.
  7. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ¼ cup of tahini with 2 Tbsp of agave. Drop spoonfuls of the tahini mixture onto the top of the brownie batter, creating 9 blobs - 3 across and 3 down (see photo). Use a chopstick (or wooden skewer) to drag and swirl the tahini into the top of the batter. Be careful not to over-swirl or you won't have the defined swirls.
  8. Bake brownies at 325°F for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a bit of batter. You want to under-bake these a bit for maximum fudginess, but feel free to bake them a little longer if you like your brownies less fudgy.
  9. Allow brownies to cool completely in the dish (I like to sit mine on top of a cooling rack). Run a butter knife along the edges without parchment paper, and then use the parchment paper overhang to pull the brownies up and out of the dish. Slice into 16 squares, wiping your knife between each slice for a cleaner look.
  10. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

The toasted black sesame powder adds to the delicious sesame flavor in these brownies, but you can replace the powder with ¼ cup of cocoa powder if need be. Your brownies will be more rich and taste less sweet.

Arrowroot starch can be replaced with corn starch.

Dutch-process cocoa can be replaced with natural cocoa powder since this recipe contains no leavening agents (baking soda, etc).

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1 brownie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 238 Total Fat: 14g Saturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 9g Cholesterol: 35mg Sodium: 94mg Carbohydrates: 28g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 22g Protein: 5g
calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate
© Rachael Ng | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: Dessert / Category: Bars

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Other Sesame Dessert recipes you might like:

Chewy Black Sesame Olive Oil Cookies
Tahini Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vegan Tahini No-Bake Cookies
Vegan Black Sesame Coconut Milkshake

Vegan Black Sesame Coconut Milkshake

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So I’ve been on a bit of a black sesame kick lately (i.e. I made black sesame powder from a giant bag of seeds and now I want to put it in everything). They’re nutty and delicious, and there’s just something about making desserts gray that is just so neat to me.

Now black sesame ice cream is nothing new,  but this Black Sesame Coconut Milkshake is vegan, low in sugar, and made with very few ingredients. And it’s delicious! The black sesame powder is like a flavor bomb for this milkshake. That’s why I really only recommend you make the powder yourself. It’s super easy, and you’ll be left with lots of yummy black sesame powder to do as you please.

This recipe does take some major prep time – you’ll need to freeze your coconut cream ahead of time. So if you’re in the mood for a milkshake, like, right now, then this recipe probably isn’t for you. But if you’re willing to wait a day, then read ahead and get to freezing! Happy milkshaking!

Black Sesame Coconut Milkshake
Serves 1-2

1 can full fat coconut cream
3 Tbsp agave
3 Tbsp nut milk
1/4 cup toasted black sesame powder*
Dash fine sea salt

1.) The day before, pour your coconut cream out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze. If your can of coconut cream is separated/solidified, then scoop and pour it all into a heatproof bowl and microwave until smooth; then freeze.

2.) Break up the frozen coconut cream and add the pieces to your blender. Add the agave, nut milk, sesame powder, and salt. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

*Black Sesame Powder

1.)  Toast a bag of black sesame seeds by heating them in a clean pan over medium heat. Stir frequently until you begin to smell the sesame seeds – you should notice a very distinct nutty aroma.

2.) Immediately blend the sesame seeds in a blender or food processor until you have a fine meal. Store “powder” in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Chewy Black Sesame Olive Oil Cookies (dairy-free!)

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Okay, so I’ve been meaning to create some kind of sesame cookie for the longest time. I mean, who can resist all the cute, sesame-covered cookies on Instagram? I can’t. They’re beautiful, I love sesame, and I love cookies. When I set out to create my own black sesame cookie, I quickly ditched the idea of rolling my dough balls in sesame seeds. It was just too much for me. Instead, I whipped up a quick black sesame powder by toasting and then blending my black sesame seeds. And OMG. The powder is amazing. I added it to the dough and then sprinkled the dough balls with sesame seeds, and these cookies are the perfect, chewy black sesame cookie. Like, three days later these cookies are still chewy and delicious.

I added olive oil to this dough, because I really wanted these cookies to be chewy. And I love olive oil. I like the taste, and we use it for everything at our house. But if you’re only here for the black sesame, that’s cool, too. You can use any kind of neutral, vegetable in these cookies. I don’t recommend any other replacements as I haven’t tried them, and cookies in general are usually pretty finicky. You’ll definitely need to chill your dough, and even then, the dough will be quite sticky and wet when you go to make your dough balls. With this recipe, the final, cooled cookie will look totally different than what you pull out of the oven, so keep that in mind (and don’t worry when you pull puffy cookies out of the oven) and happy baking!

Chewy Black Sesame Olive Oil Cookies (dairy-free!)
Makes 12 cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup black sesame seed powder*
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 Tbsp black sesame seeds to sprinkle (optional)

1.) Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes.

2.) Meanwhile, make your black sesame seed powder by toasting at least 1/2 cup of black sesame seeds in a dry pan set on medium heat. Stir sesame seeds frequently until the nutty aroma fills the air and the pan begins to smoke a bit. This step took me between 5 and 8 minutes, and it was very obvious when the seeds began to release their aroma. Next, you’ll blend the toasted seeds in a blender or food processor until you have fine crumbs.

3.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, black sesame powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

4.) In a large bowl, mix together the coconut sugar and olive oil. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until totally combined. Add liquid ingredients to dry and use a large spatula or spoon to gently mix the ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

5.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop 1.5 Tbsp balls of dough, 6 at a time, onto a small plate or cutting board. Your dough will be very soft, so you’ll want to put the rest back in the refrigerator. Roll each dough ball smooth and place on your baking sheet, using your fingers to gently shape the dough into a neat ball. The dough balls will begin to spread and flatten a bit while you’re working – this is normal. Sprinkle the tops with whole black sesame seeds (toasted or untoasted).

6.) Bake the cookies at 350°F for 5-7 minutes or until cookies are puffy and the centers no longer look wet. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. After the first minute, you can use your fingers to gently push the edges of each cookie into a neater circle, if desired (I did this). Transfer to a cooling rack. Your cookies will deflate and soften up the longer they sit. I actually found them to be softer the next day! Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!

*I highly recommend making your own – it’s super easy! Plus, there may be a difference in moisture content in homemade vs store bought black sesame powder.