Wonderfully fudgy, sweet and sticky flapjacks full of Middle Eastern flavours. These halva flapjacks not only contain white chocolate, but also tahini, dates, honey, walnuts, sesame seeds and oats. Perfect for picnics and lunch boxes.
Before we got to tuck into the matcha cake of my previous post, we had the enviable task of spending a few hours having fun on a mostly deserted Cornish beach. Despite being a local lass, I had never been to this beach before so it was a particularly exciting adventure. Down the long, winding and sometimes steep cliff path we went, with no sight of the beach or the group of friends we were there to meet.
Was this beach a piece of fiction made up to give us an added adventure? The views were fantastic though and CT botanised and enjoyed the coastal flora to his heart’s content. At last, around a corner, we spotted the hidden gem – a large and virtually empty beach.
Apparently when the tide is in, there is no beach, but our more knowledgeable friends had timed our visit for maximum benefit. Despite the threat of rain, we remained dry and for a couple of hours we even enjoyed blue skies and sunshine.
White Chocolate Halva Flapjacks
As we don’t get to have picnics on special beaches very often, I thought something other than my normal work rye sourdough sandwiches was called for. So I pulled out the stops and made some milk bread rolls, inspired by Joanna of Zeb Bakes but actually using Andrew Whitley’s recipe in Bread Matters.
But what for pudding? Something for all to share, but something that was not too heavy to carry and would travel well. I didn’t wonder for too long. I’d recently seen Dan’s wonderful recipe for Halva Flapjacks, first on Suelle’s blog Mainly Baking and then on Foodycat. It appealed straight away and I reckoned would be just perfect for a beach party.
The theory is that using tahini means the butter content of normal flapjacks can be reduced. Well this maybe so, but I don’t think anyone could kid themselves these were healthy snacks. Even less so with my adaptation to include white chocolate. Calorie overload aside, everyone loved these flapjacks and I have made them several times since.
A cross between fudge and flapjacks, these are a very sweet and sticky, but delicious treat. Those middle eastern flavours of dates, sesame and honey work really well together and the nuts are plentiful which gives a lovely crunch to the texture.
Luckily, I remembered to take some photos before we polished them all off. The party ended with a flapjack powered Frisbee session before clambering back up the cliffs and home for tea.
Other Flapjack Recipes You Might Like
- Banana, coconut & white chocolate flapjacks
- Blueberry & white chocolate flapjacks
- Choc-chip orange flapjacks
- Chocolate coconut & raisin flapjacks
- Mincemeat flapjacks
- Jammy flapjacks
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these white chocolate halva flapjacks, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or via social media. Have you any top tips? Do share a photo on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot it.
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Choclette x
Halva Flapjacks. PIN IT.
Halva Flapjacks – The Recipe
Halva Flapjacks
Ingredients
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 50 g light brown sugar
- 200 g condensed milk
- 50 g white chocolate chopped
- 75 g tahini
- 50 g honey
- 100 g dates chopped
- 100 g walnuts chopped
- 20 g sesame seeds + 2 tsp for scattering over the top
- 225 g rolled oats (porridge oats)
Instructions
- In a large pan, melt the butter with the sugar and condensed milk.100 g unsalted butter, 50 g light brown sugar, 200 g condensed milk
- Take off the heat and add the white chocolate. Leave to melt.50 g white chocolate
- Add the tahini and honey then stir until all incorporated.75 g tahini, 50 g honey
- Stir in the dates, walnuts and sesame seeds.100 g dates, 100 g walnuts, 20 g sesame seeds
- Work in the rolled oats.225 g rolled oats (porridge oats)
- Pack the mixture into a 9" (23cm) square silicone mould or lined tin and scatter a few more sesame seeds over the top.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) until golden.
- Leave to cool, then cut into 16 squares.
Henk Kooiman says
Made the dark chocolate version this morning. As we both expected, it works out well indeed ! Alterations: 85 g of ‘ordinary’ dark chocolate instead of white chocolate, peanutbutter instead of tahini, 250 g oats instead of 225 g. To loosen up the stiff dough a bit, as well as for extra flavour, I added 30 g of Hungarian walnut liqueur. The taste of the peanutbutter is less prominent in this flapjack, but the result is anyhow very satisfying.
Choclette says
Hungarian walnut liqueur Henk??? No wonder they were very satisfying 😀
Henk Kooiman says
I bought a new tin of condensed milk last week and baked these flapjacks today for the 2nd time, using 75 gr of white chocolate (standard bar size here) and organic peanutbutter instead of tahini. So delicious ! You should be awarded for this recipe ! I am thinking of substituting the white chocolate for dark chocolate next time, just out of curiosity. It should be good as well.
Choclette says
Dark chocolate with peanut butter is fabulous so that is bound to be a good bake Henk. Your white chocolate version sounds rather good too. So the Dutch aren’t quite as piggy as us Brits then with our 100g size bars 😉
Henk Kooiman says
Of the 4 flapjack-recipes I have tried so far, all from your website, for me this is really the best till now, and even worth buying a new tin of condensed milk for !
Best taste and best consistency, even though the chocolate ones come close.
Because I didn’t want to do any shopping I had to make some alterations. So, the tahini was substituted by the organic nutbutter as described above. The walnuts were replaced by a mixture of pecannuts and slivered almonds (lightly roasted in the oven to enhance their flavours).
Of course it is different from tahini, but it sure works.
Choclette says
Henk, you are going to be the flapjack expert if you keep this up. I’m going to follow your lead and try it with a nut butter next time.
Henk Kooiman says
Maybe I am the one and only person here who is not fond of tahini ? Whenever I used to buy a jar it always remained in the cupboard for a very, very long time, eventhough I tried things like tahini-cookies and baba ganush. So I am not going to buy another one. Do you think the recipe will work with peanutbutter (in fact I always have an organic nutbutter with (mainly) peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds and cashewnuts) ?
Choclette says
I’m sure it would work Henk. Peanut butter flapjacks are on my extremely long list of things to try.
Tina @ The Spicy Pear says
These halva flapjacks look amazing, perfect for snacks, or in the morning.
Choclette says
Thanks Tina. They were delicious and it’s about time I made them again.
Dee Johnson says
Mmmm lovely. Love the pics too and the recipe is a defo
Choclette says
Chele – ha ha, fun indeed. The temptation is always to plaster my posts with photographs of local flora and views but have to keep reminding myself this is a food blog!
Celia – flapjacks are wonderful things and always very portable. Rolls I just filled with cheese, chutney (mine of course) and lettuce – nothing too exciting, but very tasty.
CC – Dan’s full of great ideas.
Grazing Kate – ahh, there is a reason I didn’t mention this in the post 😉
Johanna – one word of warning, they are very sweet.
Maggie – thank you, this is a new one for most of us I think.
Mary – thank you, it was a lovely day.
Dom – ha ha, those feet are becoming quite popular.
Dom at Belleau Kitchen says
I love halva… simply love it… I am going out to buy these ingredients today… bloody great, plus I love your photo’s… nice feet!
Mary says
This must have been a wonderful day. The scenery is beautiful and the halva looks interesting and delicious. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary.
Maggie says
The views of the beach look fabulous. I have to admit I haven’t come across Halva Flapjacks before but they look lovely.
Johanna GGG says
have seen these flapjacks around the blogs and I have wanted them very much – what a great idea!
Grazing Kate says
which beach?
The Caked Crusader says
halva flapjacks sounds like a very happy marriage indeed. What a great idea
celia says
Sounds like a wonderful day, Choc! Really have to try flapjacks, I’ve been saying that ever since I saw them on Suelle’s blog! Your rolls look yummy too, what did you fill them with?
Chele says
Lovely photos, looks like a great day out. And with lovely food to share like this too who can blame everyone for having such a good time ;0)
Choclette says
Thank you Manu, Ruth and Alice
Jac – hope it came out for you. We haven’t seen the sun here in quite a while.
Suelle – fudgy is the best way of describing these flapjacks. Not like flapjacks at all really.
Anna – he he.
Malli – thank you for your kind comments and for following my blog.
Torview – thanks.
Phil – I know, I’m very lucky living here.
Mimi – Thank you, but I bet you don’t miss all our wind, rain and grey skies really!
Corina – Dan is a very creative man.
Foodycat – mine were still very fudgy on the inside. If flapjacks are what you are after, I think we need to come up with another name for these.
Gloria – thank you.
Gloria says
Love pics and flapjacks look delicious, gloria
Foodycat says
What a wonderful picnic spot! Your flapjacks look better-cooked than mine. I think I should have left them in for longer.
Corina says
Delicious sounding variation on normal flapjacks. I’m sure they were perfect to eat on the beach.
Phil in the Kitchen says
Sweet treats and a Cornish beach – the sort of combination to dream about. Lovely stuff.
Torviewtoronto says
lovely post
Malli says
I am so glad I stumbled on you beautiful blog. Being a Chocoholic I would love to follow you… love the Halva Cake. I tried to make a sticky date cake once..check it out
At Anna's kitchen table says
Drool…..
Suelle says
Adding the white chocolate must have made them even more fudgy – they look good!
Jacqueline says
A great day out. Wish the sun would come out here.
Alice says
These look really lovely. I’ve never made flapjacks before (i know, crazy right?!) so I think that I might well give these a go
Ruth says
I love halva but have never made it myself – yours looks delicious! you photos are brilliant too!
manu says
Love these pics and the recipe too! Have a nice week end ♥