Hands up if you're a brownie fan?
*Puts both hands and also both feet in the air*
I love brownies, but having baked them quite a few times before (remember the slutty brownies?) I wanted to try something different. That's when I remembered the gorgeous 'blondie' I had tasted at Carfest in 2013... Oh my goodness, it was like a taste of heaven. And once I'd remembered it, I couldn't think why I hadn't baked blondies before!
For those of you who are scratching their heads at my repetitive use of the word blondie, blondies are basically pale brownies (!)... i.e. instead of being made with chocolate, they are made with butterscotch, brown sugar or, my favourite, white chocolate.
I luckily spotted this brilliant recipe in Good Housekeeping magazine a while ago, and had stored it away in my beloved recipe book - and because I am so kind-hearted and generous, I decided to pass it on to you lovely people too.
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Ingredients (Makes 16 blondies) -
150g (5 oz) unsalted butter, chopped, plus extra to grease
200g (7 oz) white chocolate, chopped
200g (7 oz) caster sugar
2tsp vanilla bean paste or extract (I used vanilla extract which worked fine for me)
3 medium eggs
200g (7 oz) plain flour
1tsp baking powder
75g (3 oz) white chocolate chips
Optional - a handful of chopped nuts to add to the mixture
Equipment -
Square baking tin
Baking parchment
Heatproof bowl
Saucepan
Electric mixer
Sieve
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan)/gas mark 4. Lightly grease and line your square tin (approx. 20.5cm/8 in) with baking parchment.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (make sure the base of the bowl isn't touching the water). Once melted, lift the bowl off the pan and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Beat into your chocolatey-buttery mixture the sugar, vanilla and eggs until combined. Sift over the flour and baking powder, and then fold through most of the chocolate chips. I also decided to add a handful of chopped nuts to the mixture, as I do like a nutty brownie/blondie - but this is completely optional! You could also try some fresh raspberries if you're feeling adventurous...
4. Scrape the mixture into the tin, level and scatter over the remaining chocolate chips. Bake for 20-25 mins or until just firm (I left mine in the oven for about 30 mins in total). Leave to cool in the tin, before cutting into squares. I think it's best to wait until they are completely cold before cutting them if you can; I did this, and it means you end up with much neater, tidier blondies!
5. Sit back, relax and eat one of the blondies. Be amazed at how talented you are.
If you decide to bake some of these blondies, send me your pics!