Brown Butter Tahini Chocolate Chip Blondies

Still the best, after all these years.

This weekend, when the kitchen finally came calling, I found myself wanting to fill my freezer with baked goods like I used to in the Before Times (any date up to October 6, 2023). This kind of stock-up baking is something I used to do with regularity, but like many other routines over the past couple of years, I fell out of this one out of a profound lack of motivation and deferral of pleasure. But the call to bake is back, and ir reminds me of my dear friend Bonnie Stern.

One of the things I love most about Bonnie is that she never, ever shows up without a little bag of her legendary home-baked cream cheese rugalach. Even if she’s traveled from Canada to Israel, somehow those pasrries show up in perfect condition. And when you stay at her house in Toronto—something I choose to do even if I’ve been offered a hotel room—there are invariably several kinds of sweets on offer with a cup of good coffee and a soupçon of great conversation.

And so I found myself whipping up a triple batch of my tahini blondies, one of the most popular recipes from my first solo cookbook, Sababa. These almost came to me in a sesame-infused fever dream, and I remember developing them dozens of times to get the texture and sweetness just right. There’s no mixer; just a little elbow grease and 2 bowls. They’re almost caramelly from brown sugar, with a slight crunch from toasted black and white sesame seeds. You add the tahini last; this prevents it from curdling or separating which can happen if temperamental tahini isn’t given the last solo in the mixing bowl. The most exotic ingredients here is cardamom, which adds a wisp of depth and mystery; you can omit if you don’t like cardamom, but that, along with cracked black pepper, make these a decidedly adult dessert.

This recipe is eminently adaptable. Soon after Sababa came out, my dear friend Hanna Geller of Building Feasts (go follow her! You will not regret) started browning the butter and adding chocolate chips, and now I often do both as well. These two easy tweaks just take these over the top in the best possible way. Err on the side of underbaking, and make sure to exercise a light hand with the flour; too much can take these into cakey territory. They freeze like a dream, so make a double batch. That way you, too, can welcome any guest who finds their way through your doorstep with a bit bit of sweetness.

BROWN BUTTER TAHINI CHOCOLATE CHIP BLONDIES

Adapted from the Sababa cookbook

Makes 16 squares

1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter ( or 1⁄2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil, plus more for buttering the pan

11⁄4 cups all-purpose flour

3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom (or more to taste if you really like this flavor)

1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons lightly toasted black sesame seeds

2 tablespoons lightly toasted white sesame seeds

11⁄4 cups lightly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1⁄2 cup pure tahini paste

½ cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, then line the pan with 2 crisscrossing strips of parchment paper, buttering between each layer and leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Butter the top and sides of the parchment.

Place the butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high hea until foamy and toasty with brown flecks, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl to cool In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, salt, pepper, and the black and white sesame seeds. To the cooled brown butter whisk in the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated, then fold in the tahini until smooth.

Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden on the outside and the center doesn’t jiggle but is still soft, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool in the pan, and cut into 16 equal squares.