Chewy, butterscotchy, full of little bits of fruit, nuts, and chocolate, and whole-grain … what’s not to like? In this recipe, the butter is melted and then cooled; it’s most efficient to prep the chopped fruit and nuts while waiting for it to cool.
Yields 16 to 24 squares
Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes
½ cup (1 stick) butter, plus more for the pan
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups chopped nuts, dried fruit, and/or chocolate*
1½ cups whole wheat white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
*Dried fruit such as figs, dates, apricots, or mangoes, cut into small pieces; raisins or dried cranberries, whole or roughly chopped; coconut flakes. Nuts such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, or salted roasted peanuts, chopped. Bittersweet, dark, or white chocolate in chunks or chips. (See Variations for our favorite combinations.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter, oil, or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter, swirling often, until it begins to brown. Pour the hot butter into a mixing bowl and stir in the brown sugar until moistened. Set aside to cool. Combine the chopped fruit, nuts, and/or chocolate and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk or stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt to evenly distribute.
When the butter-sugar mixture has cooled, add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat just until well combined; the batter will be quite stiff. Set aside about ⅓ cup of the chopped fruit, nuts, and/or chocolate, and fold the rest into the batter. Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the reserved fruit-nuts-chocolate pieces on top.
Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until turning brown around the edges and a bit puffy in the middle. Remove the pan from the oven and put it on a wire rack to cool. The blondies will firm up as they cool. When cool, cut into 16 to 24 squares or bars.
Our favorite blondie additions:
• chopped figs and pecans with bittersweet chocolate chunks
• chopped toasted cashews and dried mango with coconut flakes
• chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chips
Whole-Grain Blondies are welcome at the end of many casual meals. Try them with Mexican Toasted Cheese Sandwich, Italian Cheese Broth, or Middle Eastern Grain Bowl. Pack them in the kids’ lunch boxes for a special treat.