[Cookie 009] Raspberry-Almond Blondies

Hi.

So, I kinda slacked and didn't make cookies two weeks ago, so now I'm a recipe behind schedule! This is highly distressing to me, because I like it when things stay on track and are neat and tidy and all that OCD stuff, but I have to face the facts. I was lazy, but as a result, there will be twice as many cookies next week! Good all around!

So this week I made Raspberry-Almond Blondies, because Saturday it was 78 degrees and I just had to do something to get excited about the summery weather. Raspberries it was! I even got a great deal on them from a fruit stand, but I don't know how good the raspberries were because some were a little too mushy...whatever! Everyone who ate the blondies is still alive, so that's good news.

The recipe itself was another no-brainer, super simple recipe, and yielded tasty results. The only pain is the fact that the blondies bake for a full hour, but it's worth it! I was surprised that that was how long they were supposed to bake for, but it's true, and it really did take that long. Additionally, the recipe calls for you to first grease the baking dish, then cover it in parchment, and then grease the parchment! I thought that was a little absurd, so I just greased up my Pyrex baking dish and that sufficed perfectly!

Now, the batter was somewhat of an enigma, considering that the recipe says that you will "pour" the batter into the baking dish, like you do with brownies, but this batter is more the consistency of cookie dough or cake batter. But I just smoothed it out and everything was just swell.

In the end, the blondies were really tasty and even prettier to look at. The raspberry-almond combination is really nice, especially because the raspberries are tart and soft and the almonds are nutty and crunchy, so they contrast eachother really nicely. The flavor of the actual blondie batter is good, but nothing exciting and different, and personally I thought could have used a little oomph, but it's nothing to shake at stick at, to be sure.

Raspberry-Almond Blondies
Makes about 12 squares

Ingredients

• 9 tablespoons (1 1/8 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sliced almonds, (3 ounces), toasted
• 1 pint raspberries
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside. (I just buttered the pan, and disregarded the lining--worked fine!)
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, and set aside.
3. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; cream on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. Add flour mixture, and beat on low speed, scraping down sides of bowl, until well incorporated. Mix 3/4 cup almonds into batter.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan; spread with a rubber spatula. Scatter berries and remaining 1/4 cup nuts over batter in pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into blondies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, 55 to 60 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before cutting into squares.

****

{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 2/5
Ingredient Accessibility: 4/5
Tastiness: 3/5
Attractiveness: 5/5 (Purty!)
Is it worth it?: Yep, especially for a summer bbq or tea party!