I spent many years shunning blondies. Because if a dessert wasn’t something deeply chocolatey, I didn’t want anything to do with it.
But damn, was I wrong. The first time I ate a blondie, I was blown away. The intense caramel/butterscotch-like flavor of a blondie is absolutely insane. I was immediately converted.
When I got my first few stalks of rhubarb this year, I thought blondies might be the perfect way to showcase them. Blondies are very sweet. So they seemed like a great way to offset the natural tartness of the rhubarb. And I was right! These Rhubarb and White Chocolate Blondies with Walnuts were exactly what I had envisioned them to be. The blondies are dense, chewy and rich (hello lots of butter and brown sugar!). And then you get little random bursts of tartness from the rhubarb that makes them so much more interesting than just a plain blondie. And I love the way the pink rhubarb pieces stand out against the golden-brown blondie top. That would have gotten totally lost in a traditional dark chocolate brownie.
The most important recipe note here is to consider that rhubarb contains moisture that will get released during baking. So I don’t recommend covering the entire surface of the blondies with pieces of rhubarb. I know it’s tempting, because you’re thinking more rhubarb will be better, right? But not in this case. The top won’t cook properly if you do that. And then you’ll be sad.
These Rhubarb and White Chocolate Blondies with Walnuts would be great for Mother’s Day or any fun late Spring/early Summer events you might have. I hope you give them a try!
Cheers,
Liz
Rhubarb and White Chocolate Blondies with Walnuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup (16 tablespoons) salted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 3/4 cups chopped walnuts
- About 1-2 stalks fresh rhubarb, ends trimmed
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 X 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Then line the baking pan with parchment paper, leaving about an inch overhanging on the sides. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the melted butter and brown sugar on medium speed until fully combined. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix on low speed just until no more white streaks remain. Fold in the white chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared baking pan and spread it out into an even layer. The batter will be thick. I find an offset spatula is the best tool for this step. Set aside.
- Cut the rhubarb stalks into 1-inch pieces. If the stalks are thick, cut the pieces in half lengthwise as well as horizontally. The rhubarb will release some moisture as it bakes, so you don’t want the pieces of be too large or the top of the blondies will be wet and won’t fully cook. You want about 1 cup of rhubarb pieces in total.
- Arrange the rhubarb pieces over the blondie batter. They won’t cover the entire surface.
- Transfer the baking pan to your pre-heated oven and bake for 32-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. The edges of the blondies will be browned and look mostly dry, while the center will still look a bit pale. It will darken as it cools.
- Remove the baking pan from your oven and set it on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled to room temperature, use the overhanging parchment paper to lift the blondies from their pan. Slice and serve.
- Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day. For longer storage, I recommend placing them in your refrigerator.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
rhubarb! love it and never seen it in a blondie, works for me, seems like a nice way to cut against the sweetness, and I’m happy to skip the overwhelming chocolate overload that is a brownie in favor of other flavors, so thank you!