Tuesday 12 May 2015

Pistachio Halva Shortbread!

It has been an EMBARRASSING amount of time since my last post. I have so many blog posts rolling around in my head (there's lots of room!) but have been really busy and unable to put fingers to keyboard to make it happen. 

I'm hoping that in the next couple of weeks so I can find some time to sit down and get them all typed up and ready to rock 'n roll, so please hang tight! 

In the meantime, I will start with this gem of a recipe. In my fridge has been a sad lonely container of pistachio halva. I bought it a while ago with the intention of doing something with it, so I wasn't sure what. I got the idea to do something with halva after eating one of my friend Ruben's dee-licious halva cupcakes. 

After a quick google search, I found a great recipe that I was able to veganize. 
These are easy to make and absolutely beautiful- not to mention delicious. 

You'll need:

1 cup flour 
1/4 cup sugar 
1/2 cup salted Earth Balance, softened 
1 tsp vanilla 
24 1/4" halva cubes 

Topping:
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
1 tsp coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and while it's pre-heating toast the sesame seeds and then set aside in a small bowl.

In a large bowl whisk the flour and sugar together. Next, mix in the half cup of Earth Balance until well mixed. Finally add the teaspoon of vanilla. Knead the mixture until it is consistent. 

Chop your halva (which usually comes in a large brick) into 1/4" cubes. 

Using a small cookie scoop, scoop 24 teaspoon size cookies onto a parchment lined sheet. Next, press the halva cube into the centre of the cookie and form the batter around it, leaving the top exposed completely. 



Now place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. This will stop the halva from spilling over while baking. 

When they're ready, bake for 20 minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown. 

While cooling, melt your chocolate and coconut oil mix over a double boiler and pour into a piping bag. 

Next, drizzle the chocolate over the cookies in any desired pattern (I did thatched) and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. 

Cool completely and enjoy!