Bakewell Blondies

Welcome to February! I thought that for this month I would pick recipes that include cherries or berries in some form. I have some great items picked out. I actually have more recipes than I need for this month, but it is always nice to have options. I’m surprised that many of the cookies are listed as Christmas cookies, but I don’t think so at all. If you make a Christmas cookie in February, is it still a Christmas cookie?

This blondie is not one of the recipes that described itself as a Christmas cookie. The Bakewell Tart is one of my favorites, and when I visit the British shop, I almost always buy one of their Bakewell Tarts. I have made another cookie version of the Bakewell Tart, but not a blondie like this one. As it is a British recipe, the measurements are in grams, which is actually easier to work with as long as you have the appropriate scale.

For the Bakewell Blondies, you can use any type of jam. I suppose that raspberry jam is the most classic choice, but I ended up using cherry jam as I really like cherry jam. The original recipe called for three medium (British) eggs, so I changed that to two large (US) eggs. I don’t think that I would have wanted any more than that. I baked these for 30 minutes, and when I cut them, I think they could have baked slightly longer. None the less, they cut beautifully and taste great. They have all of the great flavors of a Bakewell Tart: the jam, ground almonds, and the sliced almonds. I’m also a big fan of icing, so perhaps that is the only way I could improve these, but maybe that would just be too much.

Bakewell Blondies
250 grams butter, melted
125 grams sugar
125 grams brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
100 grams ground almonds
200 grams flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
200 grams white chocolate chips
250 grams berry Jam
50 grams sliced almonds

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” square pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium until smooth. Add the eggs and almond extract and beat again to combine. Add the flour, ground almonds, and cornstarch and mix on low until the dough comes together. Stir in the white chocolate chips with a spatula.

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Top with dollops of jam and lightly swirl through the blondie mixture. Top with sliced almonds.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until there are baked but still have a slight wobble in the center of the blondies. Cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator before cutting into bars.

Recipe from Jane’s Patisserie