These blondies are fun and simple to make, but from the first bite, fragrant with cardamom and spiked with a tiny jolt of black pepper and the crunch of toasty seeds, you’ll know you’re tasting something special.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, or 1/2 cup olive oil or vegetable oil, plus more for buttering the pan
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (or more to taste if you really like this flavor)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lightly toasted black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons lightly toasted white sesame seeds
1 1/4 cups lightly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pure tahini paste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, then line the pan with 2 crisscrossing strips of parchment paper, buttering between each layer and leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Butter the top and sides of the parchment.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, salt, pepper, and the black and white sesame seeds. In another medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, 1⁄2 cup melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated, then fold in the tahini until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden on the outside and the center doesn’t jiggle but is still soft, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool in the pan, and cut into 16 equal squares.
