Brown Sugar Halva Hot Chocolate

Halawet Tahiniyya, Rahash, halva — the names shift from place to place, but the feeling stays familiar. In the Gulf, we call it Rahash. Across the Levant and parts of North Africa, it’s Halawet Tahiniyya. And halva is the name used across much of the rest of the world. Different languages, different accents, but the same humble sweetness moving quietly across borders.

For many of us as Arabs, this flavor is childhood. Winter afternoons, a small piece set beside hot tea or coffee. The room warm, the day slowing down, the quiet comfort of family filling the space without needing much conversation.

That’s what I love about it — how one simple sweet lives in so many homes, shaped by different hands, yet felt in much the same way.

So I started wondering — what if that memory could be poured into a cup? What if halwa met something just as comforting, like hot chocolate? Not blended away until it disappears, but crumbled on top, half-melted and still textured. So every sip carries those familiar notes of sesame, warmth, and nostalgia.

It’s a small winter comfort — and a reminder that some flavors travel freely between us, holding stories that belong to many, no matter where we’re from or what we choose to call them.

Serves 2

Dry Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp (14 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 Tbsp (8 g) cornstarch

• Pinch of fine salt

• ¼ tsp cinnamon or cardamom

Wet Ingredients

• 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk (or oat milk)

• 3 Tbsp (40 g) dark brown sugar

• 60 g around 1\3 cup halva, crumbled (extra for serving)

• 50 g dark chocolate (70%), finely chopped

• 1 tsp tahini

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. In a saucepan, whisk the cocoa, cornstarch, and about one-third of the milk until smooth and lump-free.

2. Add the remaining milk and brown sugar; warm over medium heat.

3. Stir in the halva, dark chocolate, tahini, spice, and vanilla.

4. Heat gently, whisking, until lightly thickened—about 4–5 minutes. Do not let it boil.

5. Pour into two mugs , finish with crumbled halva. add more after every sip if desired.

Serving & Storage

• Best served immediately while hot and smooth.

• Adjust thickness using more cornstarch for a richer texture, or more milk for a thinner sip.

• For a dairy-free version: oat milk + coconut cream + tahini.