Tahini chocolate chip cookie bars

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease the base of the baking tin, then line with a piece of parchment paper that overhangs the two long sides. Secure the paper in place with two metal clips.

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat until it browns, stirring frequently. The butter will melt, then sizzle and splatter and then start to foam. As it foams, you’ll see little golden brown flecks start to appear. Before these flecks burn, remove from the heat and decant into a bowl.

3. Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt to a separate bowl and whisk briefly to combine. Add the tahini and both sugars to the bowl of melted butter, then use an electric mixer to whisk everything together for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is combined and lightened.

4. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix briefly to combine. Add the flour mixture and gently mix until most of the flour has been absorbed, then stir in the chocolate until evenly distributed. Scrape the cookie dough into the prepared baking tin and gently press into an even layer.

5. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until golden. Leave to cool completely in the tin. Use the parchment paper to lift the cookie mixture from the tin and then cut into squares using a large, sharp knife.

6. Store in a sealed container for 3–4 days.

Cook's note: Chocolate chip cookies are a constant in my house, whether it is a batch resting in the freezer waiting for a cookie emergency, or it is a batch of these cookie bars for when I want to make cookies but prefer to skip the shaping and get these baked nice and fast – especially good for when friends come over unannounced. The tahini in this recipe adds a warm nuttiness that is more subtle than peanut butter, but adds a great depth of flavour that makes these cookie bars really sing.

This is an extract from One Tin Bakes by Edd Kimber. It is published by Kyle Books and retails for R329. Photography: Edd Kimber

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