Espresso Blondies with Almonds and White Chocolate Chips
This recipe was a particularly fun one for me because it was part of a collaboration with Hannah Spiegelman, a.k.a the gal behind A Sweet History. Hannah makes deliciously unique ice cream flavors inspired by people & places in history. These espresso blondies with almonds & white chocolate chips were paired with Hannah's take on the Viennese coffee drink, "Maria Theresa". Named after the 18th century Austrian Queen, this Viennese drink is an espresso base with a splash of orange liqueur, topped with whipped cream & the zest of an orange. The different flavors pair surprisingly well together & make for both a refreshing drink & ice cream treat! To make the espresso blondies, head to the recipe below.
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped almonds and 9 whole for decoration
1/2 cup light brown sugar
7/8 cup white sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground espresso
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Servings: 9 medium-sized blondies
Steps
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees [F].
Grease a 9x13 baking pan & line with a sheet of parchment paper.
Chop up almonds with either a knife or in a food processor. You went them to be a rough chop to add some texture to the blondies. Save 9 whole almonds for decoration.
Mix together sugars, softened butter, vanilla & almond extracts & eggs.
In a separate bowl, sift & mix together flour, salt, & espresso.
Slowly & in two pours, mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
Gently fold in chopped almonds, followed by white chocolate chips.
Pour blondie dough into the greased & parchment paper-lined baking pan.
Place 9 whole almonds equally apart on top of dough to neatly section off blondies. If you want to make more but smaller blondies, place almonds closer together to outline clean cuts when fully baked. [This is optional but adds a nice decorative touch to the blondies.]
Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until fully cooked & a tooth pick comes out clean after testing dough.
Cool on a wire baking rack & cut into slices to serve. Best served warm with vanilla or espresso ice cream!