White Chocolate Orange Hazelnut Blondies

My husband and I have taken very limited trips around the state the past year and a half. One of the places we have visited is Langley, which is on Whidbey Island. To get to Whidbey Island, you can either take the ferry, or drive up and get on the island via Deception Pass. I don’t feel comfortable on the ferry, so we drive to the island, which is honestly not too bad. Deception Pass is beautiful, and it’s a lovely, scenic drive.

Where we’ve stayed in Langley is across the street and down from a grocery store. It’s a fun store, a combination of basic grocery items and specialty items. We don’t like to use the credit card for super tiny purchases, so we saw these orange honey hazelnuts from Holmquist Orchards and picked them up. I often buy hazelnuts from them, so I knew that I would enjoy this different offering. Now, what to make with these orange honey hazelnuts?

In looking through recipes I had saved, I came across this recipe for Blondies with Pistachio and Lemon Zest. I used the orange honey hazelnuts instead and substituted orange zest for lemon. I do think these would work with traditional hazelnuts, or the original pistachios as the recipe originally stated. The method of making these cookies was different, and I added a few more details in my write-up. White chocolate can be fussy, so make sure it doesn’t get too hot! These are very similar to cake bars, and I was a little concerned that the mixing method was strange, but these turned out so well. The hazelnuts and orange flavors come shining through!

White Chocolate Orange Hazelnut Blondies
7 ounces butter
7 ounces white chocolate
3 eggs
6 ounces sugar
4.4 ounces flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
3.5 ounces orange honey hazelnuts
Zest of 1 orange

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

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter and white chocolate, in 30 second increments, stirring frequently. Once smooth, set aside to cool for 2-3 minutes. In a large mixer bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, flour, and salt on medium until light. Add the melted chocolate mixture and stir on low to combine. Add the hazelnuts and orange zest and stir with a spatula to incorporate.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until set and golden brown on top. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Recipe adapted from Sweet Paul Magazine