Halva melting moments

This vintage recipe for halva melting moments draws inspiration from the Australian Women’s Weekly ‘100 delicious Biscuits and Slices‘ cookbook published in 1972. You will find their classic melting moments under the section titled Old Fashioned Favourites’.

This section also includes a recipe for Yo-Yo biscuits. What is the difference between melting moments and yo-yo biscuits? Both are crumbly, short biscuits that are sandwiched with buttercream. There is one main difference. Melting moments use cornflour, while yo-yo biscuits use custard powder – both make the biscuits more ‘short’.

What does ‘short’ mean in baking? Well, it is just a fancy way of describing a baked good that is very rich, crumbly, and tender. Often it has a high proportion of butter, and a low proportion of gluten. In both biscuits, the gluten level is reduced by adding cornflour or custard powder.

My melting moments have a bit of a twist. The buttercream is rich with tahini and sesame halva, and there is a generous pinch of salt in there too. While this dessert is classic and deeply comforting, at the same time, it transports me to my favourite exotic places in the Middle East.

This is only one of a range of vintage recipes on my website – many based on Women’s Weekly vintage recipes. Check out the full range of recipes here!

Ingredients

For the melting moments

250g unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup (80g) pure icing sugar, sifted

1 1/2 cup (225g) plain flour, sifted

1/2 cup (75g) cornflour, sifted

For the tahini halva buttercream

105g unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 tbsp (50g) smooth tahini

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Generous pinch flaky salt

1/2 cup (90g) pure icing sugar, sifted

1/3 cup (60g) halva, crumbled

Method

1. To make the melting moments, beat butter, essence and sifted icing sugar in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer until pale, light and fluffy. Using a spatula, stir in combined sifted flours in two batches, do not overmix. Place in fridge for 5-10 minutes.
2. Measure out 18g portions of mixture (a small tablespoon of mix) and roll into balls. If the balls are sticky, try chilling for 5 minutes more (avoid using flour or use sparingly). Place rolled balls back into fridge for 5-10 minutes.
3. Use a fork (with the barest amount of flour) to flatten balls slightly and imprint. Return to fridge to completely chill for 3 hours or overnight. Biscuits can be frozen in a single layer, to be baked from frozen within 3 months.
4. Once thoroughly chilled, preheat oven to 160°C. Space biscuit balls 3cm apart on baking-paper-lined oven trays (they will spread slightly).
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until biscuits are a pale-straw colour. They are ready when they can be gently nudged without sticking or cracking. Stand on tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Ensure completely cool before icing.
6. For the buttercream, beat butter, tahini, salt and vanilla in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add icing sugar and beat on low speed to combine, then increase speed and beat until pale, light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. And crumbled halva and beat until well combined.
7. Add a dollop of buttercream to the base of one biscuit using a spoon or piping bag. Sandwich with a second biscuit. Store at room temperature to avoid biscuits going hard.
8. Any leftover buttercream can be frozen in an air tight container or ziploc bag. Bring back to room temperature and rewhip before using.