Raspberry, White Chocolate & Thyme Blondies

First of all apologies for my lack of blog posts in the past little while. If you’ve been following me on Instagram lately you will know that last week was a huge week for Mark and me – WE MOVED HOUSE! After the tense legal process and trying not to let ourselves get too excited in case something went wrong, it’s such a relief to have moved in even if we are still somewhat buried under boxes… And if that wasn’t cause enough to celebrate, today we’re celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary! With all the upheaval and celebrations going on in parallel, it’s just as well I’ve got this go-to seasonal raspberry blondie recipe on hand to rustle up some delicious treats in a jiffy.

I love brownies and blondies (like my Celeriac Brownies) to have a really dense, fudgy middle and as much of a crisp on the outside as possible without sacrificing any gooeyness. These raspberry and white chocolate blondies find that perfect balance so there’s a satisfying bite before you get to the melt-in-your-mouth middle. The mixture is intensely sweet, especially with indulgent chunks of white chocolate (not chocolate chips, you hear me? Real chunks) so the pop of raspberry tang is the perfect counterpart, and the fragrance of the thyme just simmers under the surface to add a bit of intrigue, but not to overpower.

I try to share fairly straightforward recipes as much as possible, but this one is especially simple and great if you want to enjoy a treat but don’t have hours to put into preparing. This is also a brilliant recipe to share with friends – I love asking people to guess the secret ingredient! We grow a lovely variety of thyme on our allotment called Lemon Curd (from Urban Herbs) and it really is just like it sounds. It’s a more delicate flavour than common thyme with a definite lemony zest but a lovely sweetness to it as well – perfect for bakes and puds.

Raspberry, White Chocolate & Thyme Blondies Recipe

Ingredients

• 115g unsalted butter, melted
• 220g brown sugar
• 1 egg (room temperature)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 125g plain flour
• Pinch salt
• 80g white chocolate chunks
• 30g raspberries
• 1 tbsp thyme, chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175°C/150°C Fan. Line a 20cm x 20cm tin with baking paper, oiling it slightly, and make sure you leave some to hang over the side. This will make it easier to get your delicious blondies out after cooking.
2. Whisk together the butter and brown sugar until combined, then whisk in the egg and vanilla extract.
3. Add the flour and salt and mix together well before folding in your white chocolate chunks, raspberries and chopped thyme.
4. Transfer the batter to your lined tin and spread it into an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes to begin with and then check every few minutes until it is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing into squares. You can keep your blondies for 3 days at room temperature or freeze them for up to 3 months, just defrost overnight before eating.

Let me know what you think in the comments and you know I love to see and share your creations when you tag me on Instagram @plotandlane so keep on letting me know if you try any of my recipes!