Raspberry Blondies with Chocolate and Nuts

One of my greatest baking joys is one-pan recipes. When I can mix everything in a bowl and scoop it into a baking dish, pop it in the oven, and come back when it’s done, I’m a happy camper. When I came upon this recipe for Raspberry Blondies, I was thrilled. It is an easy-to-assemble recipe, with just a slight bit of fancy preparation included (you’ll see).

What is a Blondie?

When I imagine a brownie, I imagine a gooey, soft, rich, chocolatey square dessert that seems to improve after cooling and even after being stored. 

A blondie, on the other hand, I imagined would be like a pan cookie, with a similar texture and consistency.

What I discovered, though, is that a blondie is much softer and more tender than any ol’ regular pan cookie. Especially from the recipe I used, melting the butter over low heat and gently stirring in the brown sugar until covered and slightly caramelly, this blondie had my expectations blown.

The Recipe

The recipe came together super quick. It’s a quality I look for in a recipe, how much attention it will need from me, and its ease of coming together. With a simple ingredient list and straightforward directions, I felt confident taking on this baking challenge. 

Because I’m an efficient (read: lazy) baker, I tend to revise what I might consider a complicated step. In this recipe, the directions call for the butter to be melted on the stovetop. I immediately wanted to default to the microwave to soften my butter. However, this recipe was otherwise uncomplicated, so I leaned into it instead.

I’m so glad I did! Melting the butter on the stovetop and then combining the brown sugar with it was a pleasing way to just take a breath and slow down while creating this lovely, simple dessert. 

Once the warm ingredients were combined with the dry ingredients, I stirred in the nuts. I had Brazil nuts on hand so I went with that as I love being able to whip up a recipe from whatever is in my pantry. I noticed in the final product that the nuts just kind of disappeared into the baked good, so I would choose a walnut next time, most likely.

I poured the batter into my prepared baking dish and placed the bright red raspberries on top. The raspberries were decidedly tart, wowza. Because they were strategically placed on the surface and not part of the batter, I figured it would be OK. 

The tartness actually did balance the sweetness of the batter in the final outcome. However, it might not be the flavor combo you are going for with this recipe so taste test your fruit before you use it. If you prefer an all-over sweet effect, I would recommend choosing fruit that is pleasantly sweet for your toppings.

Topping Options

What other fruit might you consider topping your blondies with? The first one that came to mind for me was blueberries. Sweet blueberries would be a delightful substitute for the tart raspberries I had. 

You might also consider pressing chocolate chips or peanut butter chips into the surface before baking as these morsels are a naturally complementary pairing for this batter base.

Tea Pairings

There are so many wonderful teas we could pair with our raspberry blondies. One that would be a great partner to our dessert is the Raspberry Revitalizer Lemon Mate.

A refreshing blend of green maté, fruits, and herbs, this enchanting infusion is a pick-me-up with gentle caffeination for a soothing boost of energy throughout the day. 

It has one of my favorite tea ingredients in it, lemon grass. Lemon grass is wonderful for aiding digestion, calming the nervous system, and providing antioxidant benefits.

Sharing is Caring

These tasty treats could almost be eaten in one fell swoop soon after being taken out of the oven.  

I let them sit for a few minutes on the stovetop and then removed them using the foil as directed. They cooled nicely and cut easily when cool. My knife was sharp and it cut the foil underneath the blondie squares, so I had to gently peel the foil off of each one before I (ate them) put them into a storage container. 

I’m grateful to have neighbors who willingly accept baked goods donations from me. Sharing is caring, especially with baked treats. Such a simple, humble offering can bring warmth into someone’s day and a smile to their face.

Baking As A Meditation

Might I suggest that the act of baking can be a meditative practice. It shouldn’t be rushed. In fact, it's a beautiful process that creates space for us to slow down and be in the moment. It allows us to explore and create something out of seemingly random ingredients. 

We can employ baking as part of our self-care tool kit. It's setting aside time to do something that brings joy into the day and helps build gratitude for all that we are blessed with. Do you feel that way about baking, too?