Passover desserts often revolve around eggs: whipped egg whites for sponge cakes, combined with coconut or almond flour for macaroons, or beaten with sugar to make meringues. These cookies are essentially meringues — adapted from a recipe by one of my baking heroes, Nigella Lawson. They’re called “forgotten” cookies because once you pipe or scoop mounds of meringue onto parchment and place them in the oven, you turn the oven off and leave the cookies to finish slowly in the residual heat — forgotten overnight. After 5–8 hours, you open the oven to find cookies that are crisp outside and perfectly marshmallow-y inside.
Nigella’s version includes cardamom, pistachios, and chocolate chips. After seeing a Nutella-swirled take, I glanced at the tahini jar and halva in my fridge — plus a little sesame praline leftover from another recipe — and decided to build a sesame-forward variation. The result was exactly what I wanted: multiple layers of sesame flavor, with tahini balancing the meringue’s sweetness.
A few practical notes to help you succeed:
- The original recipe calls for caster (superfine) sugar, which dissolves quickly and helps prevent graininess. If you don’t have superfine sugar, spread regular granulated sugar on a baking sheet and warm it in the oven for several minutes before adding it to the egg whites — this helps it dissolve more readily.
- I used 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste instead of ground cardamom, but cardamom and sesame pair beautifully, so either or both work well.
- Feel free to vary the mix-ins: mini chocolate chips, pistachios (as in the original), chopped nuts, or finely chopped dried fruit all make excellent additions.
Halva + Tahini “Forgotten Cookies”
Adapted from At My Table by Nigella Lawson. These meringue-based cookies are gluten-free, dairy-free, and Passover-friendly — and they’re delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites (about 75 g total)
- pinch salt
- 100 g sugar
- 1 tsp cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp potato starch or cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 90 g crumbled halva
- 50-60 g chopped sesame praline candy, mini chocolate chips, chopped pistachios, or other mix-ins
- 2 tbsp tahini – whipped until smooth
To finish:
- 1 tbsp tahini – whipped until smooth (optional)
- 2 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
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Line one large baking sheet or two medium baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
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Spread the sugar in an even layer on a baking sheet and warm it in the preheated oven for 7–8 minutes. Remove the pan and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
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Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the warmed sugar. Increase speed and beat until glossy and forming firm peaks.
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Fold in the potato starch, vinegar, and vanilla bean paste with a rubber or silicone spatula. Gently fold in the crumbled halva and your chosen mix-ins. Finally, swirl in the 2 tablespoons of tahini without fully incorporating it.
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Drop 12–14 mounds of meringue onto the lined baking sheet(s). Optionally, swirl a little extra tahini on top of each mound and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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Place the cookies in the oven and leave a note on the oven door to remind you. Turn the oven off and forget about the cookies for about 5 hours or overnight. The residual heat will finish cooking them, producing crisp exteriors and marshmallow-like interiors.
Recipe Notes
- Adjust mix-ins to suit your taste and pantry. In addition to crumbled halva, I added chopped sesame praline candy. If you want to make sesame praline at home, substitute lightly toasted sesame seeds for hazelnuts in a basic praline recipe and use half the usual quantity.
- The original recipe often uses ground cardamom for flavor; you may use cardamom instead of or together with vanilla bean paste.
- Although the classic method suggests leaving the cookies in the oven overnight, about 5 hours in the cooled oven works well too — once the oven and cookies are fully cool, they’re ready to enjoy.
