'billion dollar' tahini bars
You may not know the typical millionaire cookies ( Millionaires Shortbread Bars ), as those shortbread cookies with viscous caramel and chocolate are known in Scotland... If not, you should, but also We suggest you upgrade this recipe (hence the word 'billionaires'), adding sesame seeds and tahini.
Objective: a biscuit in a tender bar format to serve as dessert (or for any time, we deserve it), with a gooey filling and a nice layer of chocolate to tie it all together.
For about 25-36 servings:
For the cookie:
Oil for the frying pan
1 cup (about 125 g) flour
¾ cup (about 83 g) powdered sugar
1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds
¾ teaspoon of crystal salt or ½ teaspoon of coarse salt
½ cup (or a stick) cold butter, halved
2 large egg yolks
For the caramel and assembly:
1 1/4 cups (250g) brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 8 equal pieces
¾ cup pastry cream
2 teaspoons of crystal salt or 1 teaspoon of coarse salt
½ cup tahini (has a tendency to separate, take a moment to stir well with a butter knife or mini spatula before measuring)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
170 g semisweet chocolate (65%-75% cocoa), chopped
Roasted sesame seeds for presentation
To make the cookie:
Place the rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 180º. Lightly oil a baking sheet (8x8 or 9x9), preferably metal. Put parchment paper leaving it overhanging the sides. Whisk together the flour, sugar, sesame seeds, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and mix everything. With the hands, work in butter until portions are pea-size. Mix the yolks with a rubber spatula. The dough should stay compact when you squeeze it.
Put the dough in the pan and press into thin layers (flour lightly with your hands if necessary). Prick with a fork in different places, this will help it stay flat.
Cook the cookie until nicely browned, about 24-28 minutes, or even 35 if we use a glass surface. Then let it cool down slowly.
To make the caramel and assembly:
While the cookie cools, heat brown sugar and butter, whisking constantly, in medium saucepan until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved, about three minutes. Beat the cream and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for about five minutes, stirring constantly, until the caramel is thick enough to cover a spoon (there will be fewer and fewer bubbles). Take it off the heat, add the tahini and vanilla and whisk until incorporated, and smooth.
Pour the caramel over the cookie and tilt the tray to distribute it evenly. Chill until set, 30-40 minutes. Melt the chocolate in the microwave (in an appropriate bowl for it) in times of 40 seconds, stirring between those times. Alternatively, you can put the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water, without touching the water, until melted.
Once the caramel is poured, carefully spread it to the edges of the pan; sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Let cool until the chocolate is hard, an hour or two. Using parchment paper, take out the bars and put them on a cutting board, remove the paper. With a serrated knife (very important so that the layers do not break), cut them into 25-36 portions (5-6 cuts in each direction). Serve them at room temperature. They can be made four days in advance if kept airtight.
Report originally published in Bon Appétit.
'billion dollar' tahini bars