Blondie – Date and Walnut Blonde Brownie
I was looking for something different to make and serve to my book club. We meet straight after dinner once a month and we enjoy a little treat with a glass of bubbles or coffee. We always have a few nuts, savoury nibbles and biscuits on a tray to pick at.
I’ve never made a blondie before and I don’t know why, they are so quick and easy. This blondie is squidgy, gooey and if made in a longer tart case, as I did, it is slightly crispy. 3/4 participants in my book club love chocolate (I’m the 1/4!) I was wanting something new and memorable and a cross between a dessert and a cake. This is my mom’s recipe, she was making it for her lifelong friends that were popping in to visit her and it was lovely to know we both shared the same treat from across the seas.
This is not a pretty offering, but the taste is great and everyone asked for the recipe, which in my eyes is a way of saying, I want to eat this again, so I was happy.
Some friends said that they would classify this as a ‘healthy treat’, as you have dates and walnuts which both have an impressive list of health benefits, with the sugar content I couldn’t call them healthy. I used walnuts, they absorbed the sweetness and flavours beautifully and cut the richness of the remaining ingredients, whilst adding a lovely crunch to the blondie.
Confession: My long time friend dislikes dates, my mom said you can’t taste the dates, so I rolled the dice and served a non lover of dates dates. My mom was right my friend ate and enjoyed this blondie as the dates aren’t a distinctive flavouring at all, they just add a background toffee flavour. So I can say with conviction that this will be enjoyed by non date lovers too.
- 55g butter
- 200g light muscovado sugar
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 100g flour
- 1 level teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 55g chopped dates
- 55g walnuts chopped
- Line and grease your preferred baking dish either a 18cm square tin or 36cm x 12cm rectangular tin.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celcius.
- In a small pot melt the butter on a low heat, add the sugar and stir until the mixture forms a smooth ball and the sugar granules have softened.
- Allow the mixture to cook for a minute, then vigorously stir in the egg, mine looked like it would scamble at one point but keep stirring really quickly and it will be ok.
- Stir in the dry ingredients and finally the vanilla bean paste, nuts and dates.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Allow the blondie to cool in the tin for 12 minutes remove gently they are quite fragile and serve.
- The blondies can be made ahead keeping them in the tin they were baked in and covered in cling wrap if you can resist them for a couple of days.
This is a great quick just melt and stir recipe which I hope you will enjoy making.
