Halva Shortbread
adapted from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant

submitted by tempest

3/4 cup Earth Balance, softened
1/2 cup tahini
pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 cups unbleached pastry flour
1/2 cup walnuts (or pecans), chopped or ground

Preheat the oven to 375. Mix the earth balance and tahini until it is creamy.You can use a food processor or mixer, but I did it by hand. It got to be a bit of a workout towards the end when all the flour is added, but I need to spend more time at the gym anyway! Mix in the salt and brown sugar, and then mix in the flour small amounts at a time. Once all the flour is added, mix in the chopped nuts.

Lightly oil two pie plates (7") if they're not non-stick, otherwise no oil needed. Press the mixture into the plates so it's about 1/4" thick. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Cut it while it is still warm, it will crumble if you wait until it is cool.

I think this could be used for some pies as a crust instead of graham cracker crusts!