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If you’re looking to elevate your dessert game to a whole new level, you’ve come to the right place. These fudgy, rich chocolate date brownies are paired with the creamy, nutty goodness of tahini stracciatella ice cream, and are drizzled with a luscious tahini Kahlúa fudge sauce. It’s a dessert that blends unexpected flavors into an unforgettable treat. The dates bring a natural sweetness to the chocolate brownies, while the tahini adds a creamy, savory depth to both the ice cream and fudge. This dessert is perfect for any occasion where you want to impress or simply satisfy your sweet tooth.

This delicious recipe was created, with love, for Milad Ice Cream.

If you’re looking for more dessert recipes, check out my Apricot Lavender Banana Bread or Brown Butter Ruby Chocolate Rum Raisin Cookies.

Ingredients

• Medjool dates – Always try to find Medjool dates when making a dessert (or just eating them plain!). Medjool dates are langer in size, have a soft and chewy texture and a beautiful caramel-like taste with hints of honey and vanilla even, making them perfect to use in both sweet and savoury dishes. 
• Dark chocolate – The best chocolate to use be a dark chocolate (70% cocoa), but to be honest, I often use a cheaper variety for brownies. Any dark chocolate will do!
• Maple syrup – Maple syrup helps add moisture to these brownies, but also adds a rich sweetness and a depth of flavour you want in these chocolate brownies. It works so well with dates too!
• Tahini – Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It’s a common ingredient in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines and has a rich, nutty flavour with a creamy, smooth texture. Tahini can be found in both sweet and savoury dishes, such as hummus, salad dressings, sauces, and desserts. Try a couple of brands and find one that you love.
• Kahlúa – Kahlúa is a coffee-flavoured liqueur that originates from Mexico. It is made from a blend of Arabica coffee beans, rum, vanilla and sugar, creating a smooth, sweet, and slightly bitter flavour profile with deep coffee notes and hints of caramel and vanilla. You want this when making espresso martinis (nom, can’t wait for the next time I’m having one of those), but it’s also one of the main ingredients in the tahini Kahlúa fudge sauce for this dessert. 

Variations and substitutions

• Make a hot fudge sauce by warming it in a saucepan for a bit
• If you don’t drink alcohol or can’t find Kahlúa, you can use strong sweetened espresso.
• Use brown sugar instead of regular.
• If you’re feeling rather fancy, you can sprinkle a little edible gold dust on top, or sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Don’t have self-raising flour? You can make it yourself by adding baking powder to all-purpose flour (15 grams of baking powder for 500 grams of flour).

Step by step instructions

For the brownies

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 20x20cm brownie tin with parchment paper.
• Boil 160 grams of chopped dates in 150ml water, stirring frequently, until they become a soft puree. Take off the heat and add 3/4 ts baking soda.
• Melt 100 grams butter and 100 grams chopped chocolate together au bain-marie, and set aside to cool a little.
• Beat 2 eggs, 75 grams maple syrup, 100 grams sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract with an electric hand mixer (or use a stand mixer if you like) until it’s light and thick. Carefully stir through the melted chocolate and butter, and then carefully add 125 grams flour, 0.5 tsp salt and a handful of chocolate chips (if using) until just incorporated. Don’t overmix.
• Pour this mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin.

For the fudge

• Mix all the ingredients well.

To serve

• Cut out a piece of brownie, add a big scoop of Milad tahini stracciatella ice cream on top, drizzle over the Kahlua tahini fudge, and you’re all set. Enjoy!

Storing and reheating suggestions

Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.
You can heat reheat the brownies and heat the fudge sauce a little to make this dessert stand out even more.