Pink and green
These are a fresh take on the original blondie. I really think a blondie should be caramel-like and chewy, as opposed to just a cakey, white chocolate bar. These are a take on my classic Chewy Caramel Blondies. However, I've removed the vanilla flavour and instead added in lemon zest to give them a bit of a lift.
They look very pretty, each bar bejewelled with green pistachios and ruby-pink raspberries. These take blondies from the perhaps teenage sweetness to a more sophisticated, adult tea time treat.
Ingredients
Makes16 bars
110g butter, melted
250 g light brown sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1 large egg
Pinch salt
150g plain flour
75g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
75 pistichios, roughly chopped
(see notes for ingredient replacement and store cupboard substitutions below the method)
Method
1) Heat oven to 165oC (fan). Line a 20 x 20 cm baking tin with non-stick paper.
2) In a medium bowl, beat together melted butter, brown sugar and lemon zest until smooth (give it a good beat for 30 seconds). Stir in egg, vanilla and salt and beat again for another minute with a wooden spoon.
3) Add flour and beat thoroughly for another minute and a half. This step is essential to make sure the blondie doesn’t separate in the oven. Fold in the raspberries and pistachios.
4) Spoon the batter into the baking tin and cook for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out relatively clean.
5) Cool (I sometimes place them in the freezer) then cut into squares.
Storing
Store blondies covered in an airtight container up to 3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge. You can also freeze up to 3 months.
Notes, additions and substitutions:
Sugar: Use half white and half dark brown sugar for even more caramel flavour
Butter: you can use coconut oil too in exactly the same quantities for lactose-free friends.
Flour: Other flours work well too, however self-raising produces a very different texture so I would steer clear of that.
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