Friday, February 27, 2015








My Mom always brings a variety of halva for my husband. The Polish store she buys it from sells fresh, inexpensive blocks of these sweet, seed and nut-butter gems. My new favourite is made from sunflower seed as opposed to the regular tahini base. But on the whole, we enjoy them as a special treat for breakfast. And somehow I want to eat it only at breakfast time, and no other part of the day! Perhaps this comes from way back, from our trip to Egypt, before the girls, when a small group of us were served a simple breakfast on a felucca boat sailing the Nile- baby blue sky, quiet river, black coffee, one platter stacked with just-warmed flat bread, and another, with mounds of roughly chopped pistachio and almond halva. Halva heaven.


Almond Halva Cookies (yields approx. 24 cookies)

1 1/4 cups organic all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup almond halva, crumbled
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Things needed: mini cookie scoop and rimless baking sheet (or just turn your rimmed baking sheet upside down, then put your parchment paper on top.)

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Then beat in vanilla and crumbled halva. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture and blend it thoroughly before adding the other half, and blend again on low until a crumbly dough forms.




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Transfer the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and use the edges of the plastic wrap to press the dough into a disk. Wrap tightly in the plastic wrap and chill the dough until firm (about 1 hour).




© 2015 jordanabananabakes.blogspot.ca 



Preheat oven to 350°F. Have ready two rimless baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a mini scoop, roll dough into 1-inch balls and arrange them on the rimless cookie sheets 2 inches apart.




© 2015 jordanabananabakes.blogspot.ca 



In the oven they both go, switching the sheets halfway through baking time (at about the 5 minute mark). Bake until the cookies are starting to crack on the top, 10-12 minutes in total. Keep a close eye on them- they can turn dark very quickly.

Cool on the sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.




© 2015 jordanabananabakes.blogspot.ca 



You can have these sweet bits of halva heaven anytime. Even for breakfast.




© 2015 jordanabananabakes.blogspot.ca 


Inspired by Matkonation, Ottolenghi and Gourmet's sesame and halva recipes.
#breakfastmemories © 2015