Toasty Almond and White Chocolate No-Mixer Blondies
EASIER
VEGETARIAN
Makes 9 blondies
These are very sweet, buttery blondies, the best way to make your kitchen smell like a bakery. There’s no leavening in the batter so the blondies retain that “bar cookie” feel. The batter gets too thick for a whisk when you stir in the flour in step 3. Pick up a wooden spoon.
1 cup sliced almonds
Baking spray
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for greasing the pan
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup cake flour
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup white chocolate chips
1. Scatter the almonds in a large skillet, then set it over medium-low heat and toast, stirring often, until the nuts are lightly browned and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Pour the nuts into a bowl and cool for at least 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, position the rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat the inside of an 8-inch square baking pan with baking spray.
3. Whisk the melted butter and both sugars in a large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the egg until uniform. Add the flour and salt; stir with a spoon just until a batter forms with no dry pockets. Stir in a scant two-thirds of the white chocolate chips and all of the toasted almonds.
4. Scrape and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining white chocolate over the top. Bake until the blondies are golden and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center without hitting a chocolate chip comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
5. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then run a flatware knife around the sides of the pan and invert the slab onto a cutting board. Remove the pan and slice the slab into 9 squares, turning these right side up again.
Voilà! You can also toast nuts in a hot air popcorn popper until aromatic and lightly browned. (One warning: you can only toast ½ cup or so at a time.)