Recipes

The Secret to Nutty, Dreamy Chocolate Sauce? Tahini 

Think of it like a chocolate sauce for grown-ups. 
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Published Mar. 3, 2022.

Tahini is most commonly known for its role in hummus. It’s a sesame paste bursting with intense nutty and toasty flavors. It also has a thick and creamy texture similar to peanut butter, which got us thinking . . .

Peanut butter and chocolate make a good match. But what about tahini and chocolate? 

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Enter: Chocolate-Tahini Sauce. Think of it like a chocolate sauce for adult tastes. Fans of halvah, a sesame fudge candy, will certainly recognize this sauce’s bittersweet flavors. But everyone will appreciate the change from chocolate and peanut butter or Nutella. 

This sauce uses both unsweetened cocoa powder and unsweetened chocolate, so the chocolates intensity matches that of the tahini. 

But don’t worry. The sugar, butter, and vanilla are still there to make you (kind of) feel like a kid again. 

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This sesame-enriched chocolate sauce is delicious poured over any chocolate-worthy dessert. I recommend ice cream. Eaten right out of the container. Because you’re an adult.

Chocolate-Tahini Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

  • 1¼ cups (8¾ ounces) sugar
  • ⅔ cup whole milk
  • ½ teaspoon table salt
  • ⅓ cup (1 ounce) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled
  • ¼ cup tahini
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1. Heat sugar, milk, and salt in medium saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking gently, until sugar has dissolved and liquid starts to bubble around edges of saucepan, about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add cocoa, and whisk until smooth.

2. Off heat, stir in chocolate and let sit for 3 minutes. Whisk until sauce is smooth and chocolate is fully melted. Whisk in butter, tahini, and vanilla until fully incorporated and sauce thickens slightly. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 month; before using, gently warm in microwave, stirring every 10 seconds, until pourable.)

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