If you like tahini, I’m pretty sure you’re gonna love halva too. Halva is a Mediterranean candy made of sesame and sugar – it’s sweet, fragrant and delicious. I like to combine it with chocolate and get a unique flavors combination.
These chocolate sandwich cookies are crispy, buttery and filed with halva spread. You can get the halva spread in middle-eastern food stores or online (here), but if you can’t find it you can definitely fill the cookies with any other spread you like.
Photo: Natalie Levin
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Halva Spread
For the chocolate sandwich cookies:
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) cold butter cut into cubes
- 50 grams (5 tbsp.) sugar powder
- 120 grams (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp.) all-purpose flour
- 20 grams (2 tbsp.) cornstarch
- 10 grams (1 tbsp.) cocoa powder
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp. brandy or chocolate liqueur (optional)
For the filling:
- Halva spread
- In a food processor with a steel blade put butter, powdered sugar, flour, cornstarch and cocoa and blend into crumbly mixture.
- Add egg yolk and liqueur and continue to blend just until large chunks of dough form.
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, create a disc shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 170c degrees.
- On a floured work surface roll out the dough about 3 mm thick and cut out cookies in the desired size.
- Place the cookies on a baking paper-lined oven pan.
- Create a small hole in the center of half the cookies using a small round piping tip.
- Bake for about 9-12 minutes until golden and set.
- Cool completely.
- Fill the cookies with Halva spread and create a sandwich.
- You can fill the cookies with any other spread you like.
- Keep the cookies in a sealed jar for up to a week at room temperature.
- You can skip the alcohol in the dough, and If necessary add 1-2 tablespoons cold milk or water instead.
- Halva spread is available here.