Tahini Blondies
I used to work as a baker at a local café in my hometown — a health-conscious, hippie spot with an apothecary vibe that still holds a special place in my heart. Sadly, the café closed after just one year due to the pandemic. I landed the baking gig almost by chance, searching for work during peak COVID, right after coming home from six months of backpacking through Southeast Asia.
The café ran seven days a week with an all-female staff. Despite the chaos of the world at the time, working there was one of the most socially fulfilling, creatively inspiring, and community-driven experiences of my life. One of the standout recipes I developed? My Tahini Blondies — a rare indulgence on our menu thanks to their white flour and butter base. But trust me — they were special.
Click on the tabs below, and check out the recipe
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Click on the tabs below, and check out the recipe 〰️
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-235 grams melted butter (measured before melted)
-235 grams tahini (make sure its the good stuff. Anything from Ethiopia is amazing)
-4 large eggs
-2 tsp of vanilla
-215 grams flour
-400 grams sugar
-1 big handful of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (I like chunks or a chocolate bar broken up)
-1 tsp kosher salt
-2 tsp baking powder
-Maldon Salt for sprinkling
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-Melt all the butter in a pot or the microwave. If you’re feeling super adventurous, brown the butter for extra richness
-Measure all the wet ingredients into a large metal bowl— but omit the butter
-Measure all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl
-Fold the dry into the wet while mixing the melted butter in slowly. Basically, you’re flip-flopping between mixing the dry into the wet with the butter
-Once combined, add the chocolate chips
-Pour batter into a greased 11x13 inch pan, and place in the oven at 350 for about 1 hour
-When slightly undercooked, raise oven temp to 375 and cook for another 5 minutes (until top is slightly browned, and a bit crunchy
-Once out of the oven, sprinkle with Maldon (or another flaky salt). Do not skip this step!
-Eat warm or the next day, etc. They’re amazing any way you have them.
flavor notes and feelings:
light shining through a car window in the summer, a big hug
Chickpea Popovers
This super easy, health-focused recipe was born when I needed a nightly, semi-guilt-free sweet. At the time, I was counting my macros and didn’t want to “waste” any calories on sugary nonsense carbs — so these little cuties became my go-to. Packed with fiber, protein, low in sugar, individually portioned, and absolutely delicious.
Click on the tabs below, and check out the recipe
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Click on the tabs below, and check out the recipe 〰️
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-15 ounces of drained and cleaned chickpeas. You don’t need to peel off the skin
½ cup nut butter (I personally don’t like peanut butter, so I used Almond Butter and I used Sunbutter as well)
⅓ cup maple syrup
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp coconut sugar
⅓ cup of chopped chocolate
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-Chop chocolate, and move to the side. You can also use chocolate chips here, but the bigger and smaller chunks layered in make these popovers special
-In a blender, blend all ingredients besides chocolate until smooth! Will be thick!
-Fold in chocolate
-Use small popper/muffin tin (about 1 tbsp deep) scoop a hefty tablespoon into each spot. You can also use a brownie sheet and make these as blondies
-Yields about half of a popper tray, or a small 6x6 baking dish
-Cook at 350 for 15 minutes, until the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and eat when slightly warm!
Black Bean Brownies
Healthy, delicious, and honestly just as good as the real thing — these black bean brownies are a staple in my home. They’re gluten-free, vegan, and you’d never guess there’s a veggie hiding inside. The black beans are totally masked by the rich cocoa and melty chocolate chips, so they taste every bit as indulgent as the real thing — just 10x healthier.
Click on the tabs below, and check out the recipe
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Click on the tabs below, and check out the recipe 〰️
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-32 ounces of black beans, drained and rinsed
-⅔ cup maple or honey
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 cup oats
-4 tbsp cocoa powder
-½ cup melted coconut oil or grape seed
-2 tsp vanilla
-chocolate chips chopped
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-Place all ingredients in a food processor, omitting the chocolate, until completely smooth and blended.
-Fold in the chopped chocolate chips (batter is extremely rich and if chips aren’t chopped, the brownies either going to be too rich, or too gooey, making it seem as though the batter is raw even when they are fully cooked
-Bake at 350 for 25 min in a 9x13 pan
(Brownies will be thin, feel free to double the recipe)
Orange or Lemon
Pistachio Loaf
Pistachios. Over the past year, they’ve become the nut craze — but when I first developed this recipe, that wasn’t exactly the case. You’d see plenty of almond or peanut-based desserts, but rarely a pistachio-forward cake.
I came up with this one during the winter, when citrus was in season and, for whatever reason, I had a surplus of pistachios lying around (don’t ask). The result? A vegan, unique, and absolutely scrumptious cake, baby. Its moist center is perfectly paired with a cup of tea or coffee.
Click on the tabs below, and check out the recipe
〰️
Click on the tabs below, and check out the recipe 〰️
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-6 lemons or oranges (pick one fruit; don’t mix and match)
-500 grams of coconut sugar or white.
-100 ml lemon juice or orange juice (fresh squeezed from either or, again don’t mix and match)
-140 grams grape seed oil
-10 tbsp olive oil
-2 cups water
-600 grams flour
-300 grams pulsed nuts (mix and match between almond, pistachio, and walnut or keep it as one nut)
-2 tablespoon baking powder
-2 tsp salt
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-Start off with the hard part: zest all the citrus and place it into a bowl
-Then measure all of the wet (BESIDES THE WATER) ingredients, and place into a bowl
-Separately measure the dry ingredients
-Mix all the ingredients together (including the zest)
-Once combined, gradually add the water to the mixture. Do not over-mix. The consistency should be somewhat runny but still a bit sticky
-Grease a 9x13 inch pan, and spread batter evenly
-Cook for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean, at 325