There comes a moment in every person’s life when they look at a mountain of flour, a pile of rolling pins, and 600 triangular cookie aspirations… and say: not this year.
For years I’ve gone gloriously overboard with Hamantaschen. Dough mixed in industrial quantities. Fillings in more varieties than anyone requested. Baking parties. Laughter. Flour in places flour should never be. It has been epic.
This year, due to mobility and sanity, I am giving myself a break. (Yes. That pun was intentional.)
Instead of rolling, cutting, filling, pinching, re-rolling, and pretending the last tray looks as good as the first, I am making brownies. In cute tins. No drama. No dough scraps. No emotional negotiations with gluten.
And speaking of gluten…
Somewhere along the way, I became the person people call when they need a three-tiered, structurally ambitious, entirely gluten-free wedding cake. I have survived multiple such events. I have opinions. Many opinions. I do not personally require gluten-free living — but apparently I am destined to bake for those who do.
So this year, when reviewing my Purim list, I noticed something astonishing: the gluten-free recipients now outnumber the glutinous. I could fight it. Or I could lean in.
So here we are.
They are sticky going into the pan. You will doubt yourself. Do not. Deploy a lightly oiled spatula and sqooch with confidence. The tehina does heroic work. The cinnamon and cardamom quietly hum in the background. Espresso makes everything deeper. The walnut-on-top strategy allows the walnut-averse to opt out without filing a complaint.
These brownies are naturally gluten-free (no acrobatics required), fudgy, deeply chocolatey (I’m told), contain over 30g of honey, – which, by my entirely self-appointed metric, qualifies them as a honey recipe — and come together in about ten minutes. Twenty-five minutes in the oven. Done. No rolling pins were harmed.
They’re fudgy, deeply chocolatey (I’m told), and somehow manage to feel indulgent without being complicated. Tehina does the heavy lifting. Honey and maple play nicely together. A little almond, coconut, or oat flour keeps everyone calm.
If you are scanning this via QR code while holding a tin in your hand: welcome. Yes, they’re gluten-free. Yes, they contain honey. Yes, I meant to do that.
This year, we’re choosing ease. We’re choosing generosity without martyrdom. We’re choosing brownies over burnout.
Chag Purim Sameach.
Honey Tehina Brownies
Gluten-Free | Makes ~16 | Prep: 10 min | Bake: 25 min | ~200 cal each
Ingredients
220g raw tehina
80g coconut sugar or brown sugar (50/50 works too)
45g honey
40g maple syrup (or ~85g total of one or the other)
2 eggs
32g cacao powder
30g almond, coconut, or oat flour + 7g flax meal
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp gluten-free baking powder
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 tsp espresso powder or instant coffee
~90g toasted walnuts (optional — or place one half atop each brownie)
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Lightly grease a 20×20 cm pan and line with parchment.
Beat together the tahina, cacao, and all spices. Let stand 5 minutes.
Mix in the eggs, vanilla, honey/maple, and sugar.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold into the wet mixture. It will be very sticky. This is correct.
If using chopped toasted walnuts, fold them in now.
Attempt to pour into your prepared pan. When that fails, use a lightly oiled spatula or ice-cream scoop and sqooch into the corners with authority. If undecided about walnuts, park halves on top now.
Bake about 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Rest 10 minutes in the pan before removing and cutting.
