This recipe come from our friend Zoë François new cookbook, Zoe Bakes Cookies; we can't wait to bake our way through it, especially as we gain on the holiday season! In the tahini & halva variation of this blondie recipe, Zoe omits the oat crumble, replacing it with crumbled halva; we love crumbles too much to leave it out, so we did both and it was delicious! Any flavor of halva would be delicious here, but we especially loved the brightness of Tart Cherry! 

INGREDIENTS 
For the blondies
1½ c (180g) all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
6 tbsp (85g) brown butter, melted 
1¼ (250g) lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature 
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp Seed + Mill Organic Tahini

For the oat topping & halva 
3 tbsp butter, melted
¼ c (30g) all-purpose flour
¼ c (25g) rolled oats
¼ c (50g) lightly packed brown sugar
⅛ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt 
3 oz (85g) Seed + Mill Halva, crumbled 

STEPS

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and line an 8-inch square cake pan with parchment paper that comes up the sides to create a sling.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 

3. In a large bowl, whisk together brown butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until just combined. Using a wooden spoon or stiff rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture. The batter will be very thick. 

4. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and press evenly with your fingers. Drizzle tahini evenly across the top. 

5. Make the oat topping: In a small bowl, combine the butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and crumbled halva until it comes together in a crumbly topping. Distribute the oat-halva mixture evenly over the batter.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges and top crusts are golden brown.

7. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting.

Photograph copyright © 2024 by Zoë François