Butter-y Walnut Blondies

December, or the few other winter months ( Remember, there is nothing called winter here, in Kolkata. It's just a long standing autumn throughout. Period!), comes to life, not only with the seasonal veggies that have flooded the market, but also with baked goodies. Honestly, how will you identify winters with a particular fragrance, if not for ones wafting in air, from your oven!!!

 Ever since I started taking up a considerable amount of space of mother owned kitchen, much to her dismay, for myself, baking is a regular staple for my family. While I bake, and eat less of it ( most often) and find an un-surmountable happiness in feeding those to others!! Don't you feel the same? The "others" include my happy-to-eat-anything parents & my set of friends. But this one, that I will tell you about today, is just for me. And I mean it!!

Blondies?? Well do not feel shy to enquire about their existence!! I did so, couple of years back, when I came across this term for the first time. And ever since I knew they existed, in their little world. They came to life for me, only once I baked these ones!! Blondies, as the name suggests, are a fair-er cousin of brownies., that's what I know about them!! But in reality if you ask me, they are the dusky damsel, smoothered in the colour of butterscotch. Don't you find that thought comforting?? The best part about sining your teeth into them is that damp yet set center. The thought of it makes me salivate anytime.

To make it simple, blondies uses white chocolate, in place of it's dark or milk counterparts. And since this is a not an educational, but a tour of indulgence, lets get the process started.

1. Preheat the convection mode of your oven/microwave to 170 C. Alongside also grease your  square 8" baking pan, and line it with baking paper ( this is essential, to save you from cleaning up).

2. Take a bottom heavy pan, add in 200 gm unsalted butter + 75 gm white chocolate, and melt them together over a low heat, very gently, by swirling the pan every now and then, till they have well combined. Take them off the hob now.

3. Add in 3/4th cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar and mix ( just a work of minutes), with a whisk.
4. Add in the 3 eggs and whisk again, till well incorporated.

5. Add in 100 gm chopped walnuts to the chocolate and butter mix.

6. Alongside add in 75 gm flour + 100 gm almond meal + 1.5 tsp ginger powder + 1 tsp cinnamon & stir it all gently, to combine.

7. Time to pour it into the prepared baking tin, and bake it for 35- 40 mins, till they turn crispy on the edges, and feels squidgy under that all-most firm top!!

8. The most important part: Cool it for 40 mins at least, before removing them from the pan.

I can almost imagine the smile on your face , and your relived mind. After all this is a welcome relief for your after work, dinner gatherings with friends or relatives. No prep, No hard work, just some mixing and then it gets ready on its own. Just be sure to keep everything at room temperature (RT).The resting period, after it comes out of the oven, as mentioned is important for sure, but even if you don't have that much time to spare, do not get worried. Brownie with a gooey center is orgasmic for humans of all kinds and categories. Honestly, this is so easy, that you shouldn't feel guilty about baking them for yourself as well. That's what I do!!

Though this might look like a bit too less for a group of 8-9 people, but trust me, one fat square will do wonders. You will have to believe me, when I say that, as the butter and almond meal imparts a sort of richness which might be an absolute pleasure, but after a point too much to devour for sure!!

However, as always, some special points to remember:

1. Its advisable to keep your butter at RT. As for me I chop them into chunks and then leave them out of the fridge.

2. A good advice would be: Use the pestle, and break the chocolate into manageable chunks.

3.  For some strange reason, I prefer to lightly toast the walnuts till they smell nutty, before chopping them up. You can skip this if u wish to!!

4. I baked mine for 40 mins at 175 C.

5. Feel free to stray away from walnuts, and choose any filling of your choice in here, though something nutty is important, I feel for every bite. However, if you are a lover of contrasts, some chopped cranberries might be a good idea for sure. What say? Or maybe a handful of butterscotch chips to resonate that colour for sure!!

6. In case you do not have the baking pan of the size mentioned, (can be big or small), be careful about the baking time, thickness of the batter spread on the tin will be the deciding factor in that case. Skewer test is absolutely important for that!!

7. While lining your baking tin, allow some paper to hang an inch or more on any two side, it will help you to pull out the blondies, once cooled.

Though I am pretty sure, that there are no chances of any leftovers with this, but still if you are lucky enough to save few, wrap them up individually into cling-films and then store them in your fridge. We certainly do not want any other aroma to get clubbed with these square cubes of indulgent pleasure.

Also, it will be blasphemous, not to warm them up a  tad bit, before biting into them.

Enjoy the warmth of this buttery goodness, while I tend to some job, that need my urgent attention.

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