Samah Dada

Samah Dada is a cookbook author and founder of the blog DadaEats, which she started with the goal of sharing her culinary endeavours, food adventures, and indulgent-yet-healthy recipes with her audience.

Dada worked in broadcast television at the Today Show, where she was both the lead production associate and an on-air food contributor. She is currently the host of the Today Show original digital series, DadaEats: Love to Cook It. In 2021, she is gearing up for the June release of her debut cookbook, DadaEats: Love to Cook It.

Here, she shows us how to make one of her favourite recipes: vegan chocolate tahini brownies.

Chocolate tahini brownies

Ingredients
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed and 5 tbsp warm water)
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp coconut oil
2/3 cup tahini 
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup 
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt
1/4 cup non-dairy milk 
Chocolate chips for topping
Tahini for swirling

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper. 

2. Prepare your flax eggs by combining the ground flaxseed with warm water. Let this mixture sit aside to thicken up for about five minutes. This works as our vegan egg replacer.

3. Melt the chocolate using a double boiler, or by combining the coconut oil and chocolate chips in a bowl, and melting in the microwave in 15 to 20 second increments until smooth and glossy. Stir throughout. 

4. In a medium bowl, combine the tahini and coconut sugar. Mix until thoroughly incorporated, then add the maple syrup and vanilla extract.

5. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, and pinch of salt. 

6. Combine the almond flour mixture with the tahini mixture. Stir to combine.

7. Add the non-dairy milk to help everything come together (I like using oat milk here).

8. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

9. Transfer the brownie batter into your prepared pan, smoothing the batter out until it is evenly distributed throughout the pan. 

10. Add extra chocolate chips on top and a swirl of tahini, if desired. 

11. Bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool before enjoying.