Chunks of creamy white chocolate mingle with bursts of tangy redcurrants, creating a burst of flavour in every bite of these delicious redcurrant and white chocolate Blondies.
Redcurrants
Redcurrants are a type of berry known for their bright, tart, sweet taste. Harvested during the summer season they are usually available from July through to early September.
If like me you adore these sweet juicy summer fruits that burst with flavour, then you are sure to be looking for ways to serve them, although they are also delicious eaten straight from their stems.
Perhaps you grow your own or just grab them on the rare occasions you see them at the shops or market. Now that you have these sweet, juicy berries you just have to decide what to make from them.
Looking for more Redcurrant Recipes? – Try these
Redcurrants and white chocolate – A great flavour combination
I've long been a fan of raspberry and white chocolate combination (just type those into the search bar of Only Crumbs Remain and you will see more than one or two recipes with them). But more recently I have just discovered that white chocolate and red currants go together really well too. Maybe even better.
So when these fabulous jewel like fruits are in season I shall be using this combination a lots from now on.
Blondies
Blondies share some similarities with brownies but have their own unique characteristics. It is essentially a traybake or bar cookie and unlike its chocolate counterpart (brownies), blondies are characterized by their light, golden or pale "blonde" colour, hence the name.
The main ingredients in a classic Blondie recipe typically include butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and flour.
Blondies are known for their rich, buttery flavour with a caramel-like sweetness and a soft texture. They can be customized by adding various additions, such as white chocolate chips, nuts, butterscotch chips, toffee bits, or, in the case of this recipe, redcurrants, which adds a delightful tartness to the mix.
These decadent buttery blondies were the result of my first foray into combining redcurrants and white chocolate and I think they are divine. The burst of flavour from the redcurrants perfectly balances sweetness of the chocolate and take your taste buds on a journey.
You'll experience the subtle caramel undertones that only Blondies can deliver, elevated to a new level of indulgence with the addition of premium white chocolate and vibrant redcurrants.
Blondies are easy to make and require no special equipment. So lets get Baking!
Ingredients
For these blondies you will need:
- Butter – I tend to use lightly salted butter as that is what I have in the fridge. If you use unsalted butter add a pinch of salt.
- Caster Sugar – I use golden caster sugar for most of my baking. It’s the same as normal caster sugar, but it’s unrefined, It is a little more flavoursome with light caramel tones. For slightly more pronounced caramel tones use half caster sugar and half light muscovado sugar in this recipe
- Eggs – Medium
- Plain flour (US = all purpose flour)
- Baking powder
- Redcurrants - fresh or frozen (use straight from the freezer)
- White chocolate – I used bar white chocolate for the batter (my favourite brands are Menier or Green and Black cooking chocolate) plus White chocolate chunks. If you don't have chocolate chunks or chips chop extra bar chocolate and pop into the freezer until required.
- Vanilla extract
Equipment
Blondies require no special equipment but you will need:
- a 23cm square cake tin
- bowls (including at a heat proof bowl)
- saucepan
- a balloon whisk or wooden spoon
Method
Step 1
Melt the butter and sugar in a large bowl over a pan of hot water.
Step 2
Add the sugar and eggs and mix to combine.
Step 3
Stir in the redcurrants and chocolate chunks.
Step 4
Sift in the flour and baking powder.
Step 5
Stir gently to combine the wet and dry ingredients.
Step 6
Pour into the cake tin and bake until risen and golden. Cool and cut into pieces to serve.
Top Tips when making Blondies
- Melt the butter and chocolate over a very low heat to prevent the chocolate from overheating
- The mixture may separate and look curdled before the flour is added. Don't worry if this happens. It will still turn out great
- The ingredients just need to be mixed sufficiently to combine. Overbeating will make the blondie dense and tough.
- Store chocolate chunks/chips for baking in the freezer. Add to bakes cakes and cookies without defrosting will help to keep the chocolate from melting completely into the bake.
To serve
They are often served in bars or squares. I cut mine into 16 squares. Enjoy on their own, with a cup of coffee or tea or as a delightful treat with a scoop of ice cream for dessert.
How long will the blondies keep?
Blondies will keep about 3- 4 days if stored in an airtight container in cool place. The refrigerator is perfect. Because of the fresh fruit and the risk of mould growth on the fruit, I would not advise keeping any longer.
The blondies will freeze well for up to 6 months.
Variations
- If you don't have redcurrants, blackcurrant, blueberry and raspberry will work well in this recipe.
- Use fresh or frozen redcurrants - no need to defrost first if using frozen berries
- Use light muscovado sugar in place of the caster sugar for a more caramelly flavour.
Let's Bake Redcurrant and White Chocolate Blondies
Redcurrant and white chocolate blondies
Equipment
- 23 cm square cake tin
- baking parchment or grease proof paper
- medium heat proof bowl
- saucepan
- balloon whisk or wooden spoon
- spatula
Ingredients
- 150 g butter (5oz) cut into squares
- 150 g white chocolate (5oz) broken into pieces
- 200 g golden caster sugar (7oz)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 medium eggs
- 75 g white chocolate chunks (3oz)
- 100 g redcurrants (5oz)
- 175 g plain flour (6oz)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan)/350°F/gas mark 4. Light grease and line 23cm (9in) square cake tin with baking parchment.
- Place 150g (5oz) butter cut into cubes in a bowl with 150g (5oz) white chcolate broken into pieces. Place over saucepan of hot water and heat gently untilthe butter and chcolate melt and combine.
- Remove the bowl from the pan and allow to cool.
- Beat in 200g (7oz) caster sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Then add 3 eggs and beat to combine.
- Stir in 150g (5oz)redcurrants and 75g (3oz) white chocolate chunks.
- Sift in 175g (6oz) flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder into the bowl in and stur until until just combined.
- Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden. Allow to cool completely in the tin before cutting into squares to serve.
Notes
- Melt the butter and chocolate over a very low heat to prevent the chocolate from overheating
- The mixture may separate and look curdled before the flour is added. Don't worry if this happens. It will still turn out great
- The ingredients just need to be mixed sufficiently to combine. Over beating will make the bloodied dense and tough.
- Use fresh or frozen redcurrants - no need to defrost first if using frozen berries.
- 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in a cool place.
- Freeze for up to 4 months.
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