Friends, I'm so excited to share this wonderful bar with you — soft, chewy, and packed with nuts and chocolate! Many of you have probably already made Brownies (those delicious chocolate squares), but did you know that besides brownies, there are also blondies? Blondies are the same kind of short, square-cut bar, but they're light in color rather than chocolatey, and they typically contain mix-ins like chocolate, nuts, and other goodies. I used both white and dark chocolate along with walnuts, but you could also use cashews or almonds. Dried cranberries would be a wonderful addition as well. What can I say about the taste? It turned out absolutely amazing — my guests devoured nearly the entire pan before I even had a chance to blink! So delicious! I highly recommend it!
Ingredients:
- 200 g flour
- 200 g sugar
- 150 g butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp cognac
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder (heaping)
- 0.5 tsp salt (level)
- Mix-ins:
- 120 g nuts (I used walnuts)
- 60 g dark chocolate (I used 50%)
- 60 g white chocolate
How to cook blondies
Cut the butter into pieces, melt it, then let it cool(!). I melt it in the microwave — right in the same bowl I'll be mixing the batter in.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the cognac and milk and beat to combine. You can substitute another aromatic spirit for the cognac; if you prefer to leave out the alcohol altogether, just add an equal amount of additional milk.
Add the flour — pre-mixed with the baking powder — in two or three additions. Don't overmix; stir just enough for the batter to absorb the flour. The batter will be thick.
Prepare your pan (mine is 25 x 25 cm) and line it with parchment paper (I scrunch it up first and grease the bottom of the pan with butter so the paper lies flat). Spread the batter evenly with a spatula.
Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for about 20–25 minutes, though timing will depend on your oven. Pay close attention — don't overbake! If the bars dry out, they'll just be a crumbly little cake or even a cookie, and that's not what we want. The bars should stay very soft! Test with a toothpick — if it comes out without any wet batter, they're done. Let the finished bars cool completely.
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