This amazing tahini-based dessert is originally from the Middle East, and serves as a wonderful unique offering to bring to a dinner party or gathering of friends. Making the dish is fairly easy and quick, although it is really helpful to have an instant-read or candy thermometer when you are making the Halva base. There is no over required, which is an added bonus.
One full cup of pistachios is mixed together with the remaining ingredients before the dessert is refrigerated and cut. The final product is very rich, so I like to serve people bite-sized squares.
Pistachio Halva
This amazing tahini-based dessert is originally from the Middle East, and serves as a wonderful unique offering to bring to a dinner party or gathering of friends. Making the dish is fairly easy and quick, although it is really helpful to have an instant-read or candy thermometer when you are making the Halva base. There is no over required, which is an added bonus.One full cup of pistachios is mixed together with the remaining ingredients before the dessert is refrigerated and cut. The final product is very rich, so I like to serve people bite-sized squares.
Ingredients
- 320 g 1.25 cups prepared Tahini
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 drops (less than ¼ tsp almond extract)
- 250 g 1.25 cups white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup pistachios (shells removed, roughly chopped)
Instructions
- Prepare a small bread loaf pan by layering the inside with parchment paper.
- Lightly oil any exposed pan surfaces on the inside of the loaf pan with a thin layer of softened butter or vegetable oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the Tahini, Kosher salt, vanilla extract, and a drop or two of almond extract.
- In a medium-sized soup pot, add the white granulated sugar and water, and stir to combine.
- Heat over medium heat while stirring every minute, until the sugar has dissolved and the temperature of the sugar and water mixture reaches 250˚F.
- *Use a candy thermometer or instant thermometer to ensure your sugar mixture hits 250˚F. And be careful when handling this hot syrup—it can burn your skin!
- When you have arrived at the desired temperature, slowly (and carefully!) pour this sugar and water mixture into the Tahini mixture while stirring the Tahini.
- *You can also ask someone else to help you with this stage, where one person pours the hot syrup mixture into the Tahini mixture while the other person stirs.
- When the sugar mixture is fully incorporated with the Tahini, fold in the chopped pistachios.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared parchment paper-lined loaf pan that you set up earlier.
- Place the mixture in the fridge for four hours, or overnight.
- Remove the fully-cooled mixture from the loaf pan, and carefully cut the Halva into small squares.
- Store on parchment paper, covered, in the fridge.
Notes
Given the ingredients are fairly shelf-table, this dessert stores really well in the fridge when covered with plastic wrap and chilled.