Halvah is a traditional sesame candy made with lots of refined white sugar. We made this version with honey and coconut palm sugar for a naturally sweetened treat!
Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes + overnight refrigeration Makes: 20 servings
½ cup (120 ml) honey
½ cup (120 g) coconut palm sugar
½ cup (120 ml) water
1 cup (240 g) tahini
1 teaspoon 100% vanilla extract
To start, you will need a candy thermometer so that you can confirm the temperature. Then, in a small saucepan, heat the honey, palm sugar and water until it reaches between 260°F–265°F (127°C–129°C).
In another saucepan on a separate burner, heat the tahini over low heat with the vanilla extract, stirring occasionally. Be careful as tahini can burn if heated too high.
Once the honey mixture successfully reaches 260°F (127°C) or so, fold in the tahini and remove from the heat. Stir the combined halvah mixture vigorously until well combined and pour into a small- or mini-sized, parchment-lined loaf pan.
Chill in the refrigerator, or covered at room temperature, overnight, then slice and serve. It will be similar to a hard candy or toffee in texture, so take care in slicing. Thinner slices will yield flakier ones.
Bubbe’s tip: In case you need a reminder, this is a treat! Make sure not to treat it like one of the major food groups! Just a bisl will do the trick!