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Did you know that National Blonde Brownie Day is an actual holiday? (There really is a day for everything!) Celebrated on the 22nd of January, it’s a day to bake and enjoy blondies, a brown sugar or molasses-based alternative to the traditional chocolate brownie.
There are lots of recipes out there for brownies and brownie bites, but for some reason blondies just don’t seem to receive quite as much love. (Maybe that’s because so many people have an aversion to white chocolate? I happen to adore white chocolate, but that’s just me!) So, I created this recipe to give blonde brownies the attention they so rightly deserve.
These white chocolate blondie bites feature a brown sugar base, with just enough orange zest and chopped pecans to add an extra bit of texture and zing. Then they’re cut into squares and enrobed in white chocolate for an extra bit of decadence!
Choosing Your Chocolate
For the baked blondie component of this recipe, just about any white chocolate will work. You can use a chocolate bar (such as Lindt) chopped into chunks, or chocolate chips. (I’d suggest going with a higher-end brand such as Ghirardelli, but even baking chocolate chips will work in a pinch!) You can also chop up some of the couverture chocolate you’ll use for enrobing. Personally, I think brownies and blondies are the perfect way to use up odds and ends, or bits of chocolate left over from previous tempering projects. Even a mix of brands or cocoa percentages will work just fine in your blondie batter.
For enrobing the blondie bites, you want to choose a high-quality couverture, such as those available from Callebaut or Valrhona. (I used Callebaut W2 28% for this particular batch). If you’d like to support a smaller chocolate distributor, I also really like this Belgian white chocolate couverture available from Santa Barbara Chocolate. The one thing you do not want to use for enrobing is white chocolate chips; they won’t temper properly (see below!)
Some Notes on Tempering
In simplified terms, tempering describes the process of heating and cooling chocolate couverture to specific temperatures, producing chocolate with a signature shine and snap. There are numerous methods for tempering chocolate, including seeding, tabling, and direct tempering. Tempering requires time and patience; it can be complex and difficult to master.
I’m planning to delve into tempering in a series of future posts (stay tuned!) In the meantime, there are numerous online chocolate tempering tutorials available, such as this one by Callebaut, and this one by Valhrona. It’s also worth checking to see if your chocolate manufacturer or supplier has a temperature guide available for their particular product.
If you really want to hone your tempering skills, I’d highly suggest enrolling in a course with Ecole Chocolat. Their Professional Chocolatier Program definitely provided me with a solid foundation for chocolatework. (I wrote a detailed post about my experience studying with Ecole Chocolat, which you can find here.)
Tempering Alternatives
If you aren’t familiar with tempering, or just don’t have the time to mess with it, you might consider skipping the enrobing step when making your blondies. As an alternative, bake the blondies as directed, remove from the oven, and sprinkle generously with white chocolate chips, allowing the chocolate to melt as you spread it with a spatula. Once cooled, simply remove the blondie slab from the tin, cut into squares, and enjoy.
Alternately, you could try using discs of coating chocolate for this recipe. Unlike couverture, coating chocolate (also known by a range of other names such as melting chocolate, melting wafers, confectionery coating, candy wafers, or dipping chocolate) is pre-tempered and will work if you want to enrobe your brownie bites without having to temper chocolate. There are a variety of brands available on Amazon, and Santa Barbara Chocolate also makes a white compound confectionery coating.
Blondie Bite Recipe Adaptations
Brown sugar is crucial to this recipe. I prefer dark brown sugar for a dark, caramel-y flavor, but light brown sugar will work equally well. Do not substitute white sugar (like granulated or caster) in this recipe.
If you don’t have oranges on hand, lemon or lime zest will work just as well! Similarly, you can substitute walnuts or pistachios in place of the pecans, or skip the nuts altogether.
Equipment Suggestions
An enrobing fork isn’t an absolute requirement for this recipe, but it will certainly make your life easier! It will also allow you to create fun decorations in your chocolates. If you don’t have one, you can use a regular fork to dip your chocolates instead.
If you’re planning to temper the chocolate for this recipe, a good thermometer is an absolute must. My go-to for tempering is an infrared thermometer. Always stir your chocolate vigorously before taking a temperature reading with a laser thermometer. You want to make sure you’re taking the temperature of the entire chocolate mass, rather than just what’s on top of the bowl!
More white chocolate recipes you might enjoy:
White Chocolate Berry Bark
White Chocolate Earl Grey Ganache
White Chocolate-Dipped Pumpkin Spice Biscotti
If you make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
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White Chocolate Blondie Bites
- Total Time: 35 minutes (+ tempering/enrobing time)
- Yield: 49 bites (about 1 in / 2.5 cm square) 1x
Description
A twist on the classic brownie bite, these white chocolate blondie bites with oranges and pecans make for a decadent mid-afternoon treat!
Ingredients
Blondies:
60 grams unsalted butter, melted (4 tablespoons)
125 grams dark brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
110 grams all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
25 grams pecans, chopped (2 tablespoons)
Zest of one orange
50 grams chopped white chocolate, or white chocolate chips
Finishing:
500 grams good-quality white chocolate couverture, for tempering and enrobing
Pecans or candied orange peel, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Blondies:
Preheat oven to 350° F / 175° C. Line an 8×8-inch / 20×20-centimeter square tin with parchment and mist lightly with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter and brown sugar and whisk until well-combined. Whisk in the egg, milk, and vanilla bean paste.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk flour mixture into the wet ingredients. If batter seems dry, add one additional tablespoon of milk.
With a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold the chopped pecans and orange zest into the batter, followed by the white chocolate chunks.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Transfer tin to a wire rack and allow blondies to cool completely* before proceeding to the next steps.
Enrobing:
Melt white chocolate couverture over a bain marie, and set aside to cool while cutting the blondies.
Turn cooled blondie slab out onto a chopping board. Trim the edges, then cut into 7 x 7 rows. When finished, you’ll have 49 blondie squares, each about 1 inch / 2 1/2 centimeters in size. Discard any crumbled or broken squares (or save for snacking!)
Place blondie squares to a parchment-lined tray, and transfer to the freezer until ready to enrobe.
Temper** white chocolate via your preferred method.
Remove blondie squares from the freezer and, working quickly, enrobe completely in tempered chocolate. Transfer enrobed blondies to a parchment-lined tray and decorate with an enrobing fork, and/or garnish as desired with toasted pecans or bits of candied orange peel.
Store blondie bites in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
Notes
*If you’re in a hurry, place the tin in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.
**If you aren’t familiar with tempering chocolate, or just don’t have the time to mess with it, you might consider skipping it here. See the Tempering Alternatives section above for suggested ways to make this recipe without tempering.
An enrobing fork isn’t an absolute requirement for this recipe, but it will certainly make your life easier! It will also allow you to create fun decorations in your chocolates. If you don’t have one, you can use a regular fork to dip your chocolates instead.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Chocolate
- Method: Oven + Stovetop
- Cuisine: Sweets
